Bondi Junction stabber's suspected motive is revealed
by Antoinette Milienos For Daily Mail Australia · Mail OnlinePolice believe killer Joel Cauchi was 'targeting women' when he fatally stabbed six people in a horror rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction, the NSW Police Commissioner said.
Cauchi, 40, murdered five women and one man after he entered the shopping centre wielding a 30cm knife on Saturday at about 3.20pm.
The attack ended when NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, who was patrolling nearby, sprinted into Westfield and single-handedly confronted Cauchi before shooting him dead.
His victims were:
- Ashlee Good, a 38-year-old mother whose nine-month daughter was also stabbed.
- Dawn Singleton, the 25-year-old daughter of multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton.
- Mother-of-two and architect from Bellevue Hill Jade Young.
- Local artist and Bondi Junction woman, 55-year-old Pikria Darchia.
- Westfield security guard and Pakistani refugee, 30-year-old Faraz Tahi.
- Chinese national and student Yixuan Cheng.
A police source told the Daily Telegraph that investigators believe Cauchi was 'definitely targeting women'.
The source explained police had viewed extensive footage of Cauchi's movements throughout the shopping centre and observed him selecting his victims.
'I don't think there's any other way to look at it,' the source told the newspaper.
'You can see on the footage he walks past other people. He just keeps moving past them and then attacks a woman.'
Police Commissioner Karen Webb later confirmed it was 'obvious' Cauchi was targeting women.
'It's obvious to me... The offender focused on women and avoided the men,' Commissioner Webb told the ABC on Monday.
'We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him, were around him, close to him.
'So we can get some insight into what he might have been thinking. We won't know necessarily but we have to take a judgement from those who know him.'
Cauchi was known to police and had been living in Sydney sporadically over the past couple of years.
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17, and it's understood he has a history of being obsessed with knives.
While living with his parents in Toowoomba, southeast Queensland, they became so worried about his fixation that they took his knives away from him.
His parents, Andrew and Michele, both in their 70s, declined to speak with media after describing their son's stabbing spree as 'truly horrific'.
The devastated pair recognised their son from footage on TV and made a frantic phone call to police.
The Cauchis said in their statement on Sunday that they have 'no issues' with Inspector Scott's actions or that of the NSW Police.
'We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney yesterday,' they said.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time.
'Joel's actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened.
'He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.
'We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and Queensland Police Service and have no issues with the Police Officer who shot our son as she was only doing her job to protect others and we hope she is coping alright.'
Police are searching through a 'very small storage facility' in Sydney that Cauchi rented out shortly after his move from Brisbane to Sydney.
He was reportedly sleeping rough and had no fixed address.
Just six days before the attack, Cauchi invited Sydneysiders to join him for a surf at Bondi Beach in a post shared to a Facebook group for beginner surfers.
Cauchi wrote: 'Hi I am surfing Bondi this afternoon if anyone wants to meet there for a surf!'
In another post, shared in December 2020 to an outdoor adventure Facebook group for Brisbane residents, Cauchi explained he wanted to meet with people who shoot guns.
'Hi I am looking for groups of people who shoot guns, including handguns, to meet up with, chat with and get to know. Please send me DM if you can help me out! I live in Brisbane by the way,' Cauchi wrote.
Social media users noticed the alarming post hours after police identified Cauchi.
'Thank goodness you didn't get your hands on a gun... the devastation you have caused is horrible enough,' one person wrote.