By Jade Witten

A Cape Town father condemned on Thursday the “murderous plot” hatched by his daughter’s ex-boyfriend, who turned deadly stalker when their relationship soured.

Australian chartered accountant Shumsheer Singh Ghumman was infatuated with pretty blonde Hannah Rhind after they met at a dinner party in London.

Despite being convicted of harassment, he travelled to her family’s home in Cape Town where he tried to enlist a hitman before petrol-bombing their luxury house in Clifton.

After Ghumman was sentenced on Thursday to nine years in a South African jail for his revenge-fuelled crimes, Hannah’s father, businessman Philip Rhind said: “I am pleased he received a just sentence. He sat at his desk and planned this murderous plot… I hope this is the end of the chapter.

“Mr Ghumman is a danger, now he will be immersed in prison with more criminals. His planning was uncanny, like a good accountant. (But) he left a paper trail and fingerprints on the bombs.”

Cape Town Regional Court magistrate Herman Pieters said that Ghumman showed no remorse for his actions and that he still had a deep-seated grudge against Rhind, who had intervened when his daughter Hannah told him that Ghumman was harassing her in 2009.

“It is very clear (Ghumman) laboured a deep sense of grievance against Rhind… I believe there is a real possibility that (Ghumman) may again retaliate as he did in the matter,” Pieters said.

The drama began in 2009 when Hannah Rhind and Ghumman met at a dinner party. But the relationship soured and she eventually took him to court in London which convicted Ghumman of harassment in September 2010.

After hatching his plan of revenge Ghumman headed to Cape Town. It was while at the Cat and Moose backpackers in Long Street that he made petrol bombs that he threw on to the balcony of the Rhind family’s Clifton home in the early hours of January 14 last year.

He was arrested for arson a week later, but more charges were added.

It emerged that, posing as a freelance photojournalist, Ghumman enlisted the help of hitman Siyabulela Yalezo to kill Rhind. But the plan failed when Yalezo, who had spent 10 years in jail for armed robbery, came clean and warned Rhind.

But in an about-turn during the trial, Yalezo retracted his sworn statement and was charged with perjury.

After evaluating the evidence, Pieters nonetheless found that Ghumman had incited Yalezo to kill Rhind.

Early this year, Pieters convicted Ghumman of incitement to commit murder, attempted murder, fraud and malicious damage to property.

“(Ghumman) was serious in his endeavour to have Rhind killed,” Pieters said during sentencing.

He added Ghumman had compromised SA’s name. “We had a few similar cases. People like (Shrien) Dewani, if the allegations are the truth, and the accused will never commit these offences in their own countries,” Pieters said.

“A firm message must go out that we will not tolerate such behaviour. The accused was clearly aware of the Dewani matter. In his communications with others (Cape Town journalists) he explicitly referred to the case, stating that those whom he wanted to interview should be similar to those who executed the Dewani murder,” said Pieters.

Pieters said the Dewani case should have “really brought him to his senses” but it did not.

Ghumman acted in a cowardly manner when he approached Yalezo to carry out his plan, the court found.

And when the plan did not succeed, Ghumman took to getting the job done himself and petrol-bombed the Rhind home – causing damage amounting to R120 000.

Ghumman’s mother is supportive

Doctor Nirmal Ghumman has been at nearly all of her son’s court appearances, reading a book, knitting or listening attentively to court proceedings.

Shumsheer Singh Ghumman, 32, is her eldest child.

When she testified in mitigation of sentence last month she said the crimes her son was convicted of were out of character.

Ghumman was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, fraud and malicious damage to property.

Magistrate Herman Pieters found that he had come to SA to execute his plan to take revenge on the father of the woman he wanted to be with.

“I hope that what happened has taught him that you cannot take the law into your own hands,” Nirmal said.

On Thursday, after he was sentenced to nine years in jail for the crimes, she said she and her son had expected it.

“He is not surprised,” she said.

Nirmal maintained that her son had been set up.

She said she would continue to support him, and that he would appeal against the conviction and sentence.

“I am here (in Cape Town) to support him and make sure he is comfortable,” she added.