An Irish man has been killed while dining in a restaurant in a northern suburb of Sydney.
Keith Collins (53) was killed in a stabbing attack on Wednesday night in front of diners at the Kang Nam restaurant in Hornsby shopping mall.
Mr Collins was on a first date with a woman, Jovi Pilapil, whom he had met online.
Ms Pilapil’s former partner Alexander Villaluna (44) has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the killing of Mr Collins and the injuries suffered by Ms Pilapil.
Mr Collins is originally from Dublin, but lived in Terrigal on the New South Wales central coast, 87km north of Sydney.
Customers fled in terror from the Korean restaurant as Mr Collins and Ms Pilapil were stabbed repeatedly.
Ms Pilapil (38) is recovering in Royal North Shore hospital after undergoing surgery. She had taken out a court order against Mr Villaluna less than two months ago.
Ms Pilapil was stabbed in the chest and on the arm during the attack, which was witnessed by dozens of diners.
One witness told the Channel Nine television station that Mr Collins “dropped” after being stabbed in the neck and in the stomach with a glass bottle.
Following the attack, Mr Villaluna allegedly sat covered in blood beside a fountain and waited for police, who arrived about five minutes later.
CCTV footage of his arrest shows an officer pointing a Taser at Mr Villaluna, ordering him to drop his backpack and kneel on the ground before being handcuffed.
Mr Villaluna did not apply for bail during a brief appearance before Hornsby local court late on Thursday evening local time and will remain in custody until his case returns to court on May 26th.
Mr Collins’s daughter Aisling mourned her father’s death on social media on Thursday afternoon. “I love you more than anything Dad, I’ll forever be your girl no matter what,” she wrote.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the incident but that it had not received any request for consular assistance.
