Irishman stabbed while on date in Sydney restaurant

An Irishman stabbed to death in a restaurant in Sydney on Wednesday was allegedly killed by his date’s ex-husband.

Dublin man Keith Collins, aged 53, was stabbed repeatedly while eating dinner with a woman at the Kang Nam BBQ restaurant in the Hornsby Westfield Shopping Centre at about 9.30pm local time on Wednesday.

Mr Collins is believed to have been living in Terrigal, New South Wales, for some time.

Alexander Villaluna, aged 44, has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the killing of Mr Collins and the injuries suffered by Jovi Pilapil, 39.

Australian media reported that Ms Pilapil had separated from the accused last year.

She suffered stab wounds to the chest and arm and was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital with a punctured sternum.

Despite her serious injuries, she managed to escape the restaurant, collapsing at a nearby shop.

Detective Acting Superintendent Damian Henry said the relationship between the three people will form part of the police inquiry.

“We’re yet to establish if there’s a domestic relationship between the three parties. We believe that there might be a domestic relationship between the female and the [charged man],” he said.

Diners fled from the restaurant when the attacker assaulted the pair, according to local reports.

“The guy jumped over the counter and stabbed him with a glass bottle. He got two in the neck and two in the stomach and he, like, dropped,” said one witness.

It has yet to be confirmed if a knife or bottle was used in the attack and a number of items were taken from the scene for forensic examination.

Mobile phone footage from diners and other shoppers in the centre will be examined as part of the investigation. Footage circulating online of the suspect being arrested shows an officer brandishing a Taser as she demands the man drop a backpack and kneel on the ground before being handcuffed.

The alleged attacker was refused bail and was expected to face Hornsby Local Court yesterday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the attacker walked up and down the shopping centre’s concourse, covered in blood, with a 20cm knife in his hand, before returning to the restaurant where he was arrested.

The newspaper said that Peter Dimbrowsky, a witness, described the assailant as “eerily calm”.

“It’s almost like it was an out-of-body experience for him,” said Mr Dimbrowsky.

“He probably sat down wondering what to do. He was eerily calm as though it didn’t really matter.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it has not received any request for consular assistance in relation to the incident.