A Christchurch chef who sexually harassed four teenage workers has been fired, with his former boss saying he would’ve done so sooner had it not been for a “misunderstanding”.
Sumeer Thapa was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court on Tuesday to four months’ home detention after a jury found him guilty of seven counts of indecently assaulting four girls aged between 15 and 18 between 2021 and 2024.
Thapa was a chef at Lazeez Mediterranean Grill, where he continued to work after the employer first became aware of the investigation in December 2023.
RNZ contacted Lazeez Mediterranean Grill for comment after sentencing but the manager was unavailable.
On Wednesday, Lazeez Mediterranean Grill director Varun Kanda told RNZ Thapa was “no longer a part of the team” and his employment had been terminated, effective immediately.
“Our business has a strict zero-tolerance policy on harassment or bullying. When the issue was first – and only once – reported in December 2023, Thapa received a formal warning immediately.
“Shortly after this report the police were involved, and we co-operated fully with authorities throughout the investigation. At no point did we attempt to protect him.”
During sentencing, Judge Deidre Orchard was critical of the restaurant for continuing to employ Thapa, saying it needed a “wake-up call”. She also said the employer had provided a testimonial to the court.
Thapa was allowed to continue working at the restaurant while the case went through the court but Kanda said he warned him that he would lose his job if he was found guilty.
“He asked for the employment and since he was working here for long, he can follow the recipes and he knew the food so I gave him the employment. At that time I told him ‘if the case goes against you, I will no longer keep you in work’.”
Kanda said there was a “misunderstanding” about the conviction. He said he got a message from police about the convictions in September but, when he asked Thapa, he told him he could carry on with work until sentencing.
“He should of told me the right thing. If he had told me the right thing, I would of fired him straight away,” Kanda said.
Kanda said his team received abuse on Tuesday.
“We deeply regret the incident and remain committed to the safety of our staff and customers. We are a small community-based business, and recent harassment calls following the article have caused concern.”
During sentencing, Judge Orchard said Thapa would make flirtatious and improper comments towards the teenagers, such as calling them “hot”, “sexy” and “baby”.
He told two of the girls he wanted to get drunk with them and would buy them alcohol, despite them being underage.
He asked one of the teens whether she would be his Māori wife, and another to send him “hot pics”. He also asked whether one of the girls had sex with her boyfriend.
Thapa would also touch the women on their back, thighs and buttocks when he would move past them.
While Judge Orchard noted the touching was brief, she said his hands would linger on one or two occasions.
She said Thapa was not a good candidate for rehabilitation because he did not accept that he had done anything wrong.
“He needs to come to terms with the fact that his behaviour does amount to sexual harassment – not just the touching, but obviously the way he speaks to young female employees at all is totally unacceptable.
“He needs to adjust his behaviour because, if he doesn’t, he will end up taking the consequences.”
rnz.co.nz
