Indian-origin takeaway owner stabbed multiple times in front of daughter in UK
The 52-year-old said he, his wife Balwinder and daughters, Simran, 18, and Supreet, 16, are all still coming to terms with the attack.
London: An Indian-origin takeaway shop owner who was stabbed multiple times in front of his teenage daughter in the West Midlands region of England has finally spoken about the brutal attack, saying "It wasn't my time to die."
Narinder Sidhu, known as Sid, who owns a fish-and-chips shop in Oldbury was stabbed five times and left for dead.
"It wasn't my time to die," Sidhu told Sunday Mercury' on Sunday in his first interview since the attack in November 2014.
The 52-year-old said he, his wife Balwinder and daughters, Simran, 18, and Supreet, 16, are all still coming to terms with the attack.
His attacker, Leon McTaggart was jailed in July 2015 and is currently serving 14 years in prison for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
McTaggart, 29, had walked into his shop to buy a meal to takeaway but suddenly turned violent. "He tried to beat me to the floor. He was about 6ft 1in and a lot fitter than me. At no point did I see he had a weapon. All I felt was punches. I didn't feel the knife at all. He twice tried to kick me in the head but hit my right arm I was lucky that didn't get broken, too," recalls Sidhu.
"Simran was on the phone to the authorities, then ran out of the shop screaming 'Help my dad! Help my dad!' I'm glad she was there in some ways but not in others, because it has changed her.
"I can't imagine what she went through because we haven't touched on the subject since," he added. He was in surgery for 13 hours with five stab wounds, one in the abdomen, two in the left arm and two in the back.
McTaggart was arrested soon after and interviewed four times about the incident and replied "no comment" every time. A charge of attempted murder was reduced, and he was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
In July 2015, he was sentenced via videolink to 14 years in prison, and is now at HMP Woodhill in Buckinghamshire. McTaggart had previous convictions for burglary and was already on bail for throwing a phone at a police officer.