"I have stabbed my girlfriend, I have stabbed my girlfriend."
Sriram Ambarla was jailed for 16 years for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend inside the restaurant she worked at.
The 25-year-old attacked his former partner in a fit of rage, slashing at her throat and stabbing her repeatedly in front of horrified diners in East Ham in March 2022.
Ambarla met the woman whilst studying engineering in India in 2016.
They split up in 2019 at a time when Ambarla was physically abusive and threatened to kill himself if she did not stay with him.
In 2022, Ambarla and the victim both came to study at the University of East London.
Ambarla continued his threats to kill himself and felt he had a hold over her due to a £15,000 debt owed by her brother.
On March 5, 2022, Ambarla arrived at the Hyderabad Wala restaurant armed with a knife.
After taking a seat, his ex-girlfriend treated him like any other customer.
Meanwhile, Ambarla made several searches about “killing a human”.
Regularly ordering items to get her to come over, Ambarla told police he snapped after overhearing her saying she wanted to celebrate her break-up.
The victim said he threatened to kill her if she did not marry him and told him “she did not want to live by his rules”.
It was at this point he pulled out the knife and stabbed her repeatedly, continuing even as she collapsed to the floor.
At the Old Bailey, Judge Philip Katz KC was clear that Ambarla had brought the knife with the intention to murder, telling him:
“That she did not die, is no thanks to you. She was within a hair’s breadth of dying at your hands in a public and terrifying way.”
In the aftermath, Ambarla approached police officers and told them:
“I have stabbed my girlfriend, I have stabbed my girlfriend.”
He later told police in his interview he wanted to be sent back to India so he could receive the death penalty.
Days before the stabbing, Ambarla went to his ex-girlfriend’s father’s address and offered to clear the debt for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
The victim said she was blackmailed, with Ambarla threatening to reveal their past relationship which her parents had frowned upon.
Ambarla also accused her of sleeping with other people.
The victim spent a month in hospital and a month after her release, she had to return to hospital with a lung infection, and she is reminded daily of the violence as she hides her scars with clothes.
Recalling the attack, the woman said she only felt the first stab wound but knew “he wanted to kill me on the spot, he slit my throat”.
In a victim impact statement, she said:
“I really do not think I can forgive Sriram for what he did to me.
“I just want him to know when that day comes for his release, I want him to have a good life, but I never want to ever see or hear from him again.
“He’s not only hurt me and my family, but all his family too.”
Two forensic psychologists concluded that Ambarla was a dangerous offender.
Judge Katz rejected Ambarla’s characterisation of “bad”, and said:
“Jealous people are like they are.”
Judge Katz also rejected Ambarla’s suicide threats, telling the court:
“It’s all the time “I’m going to kill myself, I’m going to kill myself”, then look who gets killed.”
However, the judge considered Ambarla’s previous good character, lack of maturity, and evident remorse as he came to sentence him.
Ambarla was jailed for 16 years for attempted murder, along with a 12-month concurrent sentence for knife possession.
Judge Katz warned it would be up to the parole board to decide if Ambarla is ready for release once he has served his time.
He is also banned from making contact with his victim again through an indefinite restraining order.
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