'˜Relief' for family of '˜Mrs Moon' after knife attacker's guilty plea

Nirupa Patel has been left with large scar from the attack

On Christmas Eve shopkeeper Nirupa Patel was beaten and slashed in the face by Tomasz Jaworksi during a brutal attack at Moons Newsagents, Park Street, Luton.

Six years earlier Nirupa’s husband Jashbhai, affectionately known to locals as Mr Moon, was killed in an almost identical attack as he was stabbed eight times by a robber in the doorway of the same shop.

Yesterday Jaworski, 30, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and to causing actual bodily harm to two other people at the same time.

Nirupa’s daughter Jaina told the Herald & Post: “Now that we have found out he has pleaded guilty there is a sense of relief.

“It means that my mum will not have to go through with the trial and that he has accepted what he did was wrong.

“Although it is a great outcome it will not change what happened or how our lives changed.

“We want the sentence to reflect what happened and I don’t want him to remain a menace on society.”

The trauma of the Christmas Eve attack and painful memories of Jashbhai’s death forced Nirupa, 56, to call time on her 33-year ownership of Moons Newsagents earlier this year.

Following the stabbing she required 50 stitches for the wound on her face and is still undergoing physiotherapy for other injuries sustained.

Jaina added: “The whole thing has had a huge impact on family life...we’ve had our lives turned over twice and we don’t want it to happen again.

“Nobody in that area feels safe at all and we need to know why this is happening.

“There is not enough of a focus on identifying these people and helping them.”

Six months after the death of her husband on June 14 2009, Nirupa made the brave decision to keep the family business going with the help of Jaina and son Amit.

Jashbhai’s killer, Richard Dettmer, was jailed for life in December 2009 and will not be able to apply for parole until May 2041.

On the morning of the attack Dettmer, of no fixed abode, stabbed a man he had been drinking with in Manor Road Park, Luton.

He then murdered Jashbhai as the 59-year-old opened his newsagents at 6.30am, before stealing around £20 in coins from the till.

Jaworski’s sentencing has been adjourned for psychiatric and pre-sentence reports to be completed.

He has been remanded in custody.