Bondi Junction stabbing massacre: Live coverage

NSW Health has provided an update on the health status on a child who was saved by the actions of her slain mother, which comes as a "sigh of relief... for our country".

Staff writers

less than 2 min read

April 15, 2024 - 5:00AM

Australia is still reeling from the senseless deaths of six innocent people at the hands of a crazed knifeman in Sydney on Saturday.

Five women and one man were murdered by Joel Cauchi after he entered Bondi Junction Westfield with a 30cm knife and went on a killing spree.

Many injured, including a nine-month-old baby girl, were left in critical conditions and remain in hospitals across the city.

Police continue to piece together the events leading up to the massacre and what sparked the crazed attack from a man known to have an obsession with knives.

Catch up on our coverage as it happened below.

Updates

'Enormously optimistic': Hurley praises spirit of those who helped

Robbie Patterson

Australia’s Governor-General David Hurley has paid tribute to the victims of the horror attack on Monday afternoon, arriving with his wife to mourn.

Mr Hurley was the Governor of NSW when the Lindt Cafe siege took place almost a decade ago, and Saturday's events struck a chord within him.

“You can see a similar response here (Bondi).” He said

While saddened, he said he was optimistic for Australia following the actions of everyone involved in resolving Saturday's attack.

“I'm enormously optimistic for Australia given the quality of its people,” he said.

“These are people…that didn't run away, and this is often what we say about bravery awards in Australia, people run to trouble, to look after their fellow Australians.

“We should reflect on that and take some heart from the response to this whole event.”

Mr Hurley is asking that all that need support to come forward and seek support.

“Please put your hand up, don't sit at home fretting and worrying, a lot of people here are willing to help.” He said.

Schools, sports clubs pay tribute

William Tyson

Basketball Victoria remembered Ash Good as an extremely talented and much-loved player

A Victorian high school has paid tribute to a former student who was one of the victims of the horror Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack.

Ashlee Good, 38, was one of six people during the rampage on Saturday afternoon.

Melbourne-based high school Genazzano FCJ College issued a statement on Monday morning, remembering Ms Good as a “bright and talented” student.

“It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the passing of Alumna, Ashlee Good,” the statement reads.

“We express our deepest condolences to her family. May they find solace in cherished memories and draw strength from Ashlee’s spirit of courage.

“Ashlee graduated in 2003 and is fondly remembered as a bright, talented, boarding student with a deep passion for sports, particularly basketball. Her zest for life was truly inspiring.”

They also paid tribute to Ash’s daughter, who is currently in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

“We keep her daughter, Harriet, in our thoughts and offer our prayers for her recovery,” the statement reads.

“We hold in our prayers all who have lost their lives during this unimaginable tragedy and those recovering.”

Basketball Victoria posted a heartfelt message to their talented former player.

“The Basketball community across Victoria are still in shock and mourning at the passing of Ashlee Good in the devastating Westfield Bondi Junction attack,” Basketball Victoria posted on Instagram.

“Ashlee is being fondly remembered by our community as a basketballer growing up in the Murray River town of Echuca, playing locally, and representing at Country Championships from a young age.”

Ms Good was a part of the Vic Country High Performance Program and was selected to represent Vic Country in the U16 Women’s State Team in 2000 and the U18 Women’s State Team in 2001 as well as the 2002 National Championships.

Medical history deep dive to take place

Bondi Junction mass murderer Joel Cauchi saw a doctor in NSW last year for a physical issue related to his ear. It is understood it was not related to his mental health issues or schizophrenia.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the interaction was the only time Cauchi had come into contact with NSW Health, despite a long history of mental illness.

"What we’ve done is an initial look at what level of interactions that he had with the mental health system or other systems," Mr Park said on Monday.

"He came in contact with NSW in the backend of last year for a physical ailment related to his ear and that is all we’ve found.

"Initially he does not seem to have had many interactions with us.

"I want to make sure we dive deep into this, we’ve got a range of different systems in NSW health, it’s a very large system but anything else that pops up we will make sure that’s available to the coroner and the police in terms of an investigation."

The Queensland police acting assistant commissioner, Roger Lowe, said Cauchi had been diagnosed with a mental illness aged 17, for which he had received treatment, but that his mental health had subsequently declined in recent years.

He had interactions with the Queensland health system for his mental health more than a decade ago before being seen by a private therapist.

Swans pay tribute to victims

William Tyson

The Sydney Swans will wear black armbands in their game against the Gold Coast Suns at the SCG this Sunday in a tribute to victims of the stabbing attack.

The Sydney Swans released a statement on Monday, saying there are “no words to adequately capture the devastation” and the AFL team would pay a special tribute to victims at its next game.

“The Sydney Swans extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those killed in the horror that unfolded at Bondi Junction on Saturday,” the statement reads.

“There are no words to adequately capture the devastation and loss that has occurred, at a place that is so familiar to many at our club.

“We are all shocked and have heavy hearts as we join the community in grieving the loss of innocent lives. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims, those who are still undergoing treatment, and everyone impacted.

“This traumatic event will be felt by our community for some time to come.

“We are working to support our staff and players who have been affected, and we are here to support our wider Sydney Swans family. We encourage anyone deeply troubled by this tragedy to seek support through services such as Lifeline.”

Quick action 'got us safe'

Tyson Jackson

Amy Fidler, 21, works as an assistant manager at the Glue Store and was near by when the massacre occurred. Picture: David Swift

As people were running for their lives at the Westfield shopping centre on Saturday, two young shop workers took action to ensure as many people as possible were safe.

Glue workers, assistant manager Amy Fidler, 21, and a new employee, Kai Bowman, 20, realised quickly into the attack their actions would affect the lives of the 13 others in their store.

“A man whose face was white ran into the store telling everyone to get out, that a man had been stabbing people in the centre,” Ms Fidler said.

“My initial thought was to run, but I remembered that I was a manager and I had a responsibility to lead my team in the store.”

She turned back to the Glue store, which is located right near the entrance Joel Cauchi began his spree, Ms Fidler found new employee Mr Bowman already securing the store.

“When I got back Kai was locking the doors, we had not been trained on how to deal with this, but his instinct is what got us safe,” she said.

“Kai was only new to the store, started working here two weeks ago, I was actually training him.”

Kai was the only male working in the store on Saturday and according to workers was the first to take the initiative to prevent any of the women getting hurt.

“He massively took on the protector role, I told him to stay hidden, but he was always trying to check everyone was safe and the man wasn't trying to get into our store.” Ms Fidler said.

Independent inquiry fund announced

Premier Chris Minns has announced $18 million in additional funding for the NSW Coroner’s office to establish and independent inquiry into the attack.

“Concurrently an assistant deputy state coroner will be appointed for all forensic investigations that take place during the period of that public inquiry,” he said.

“I expect that inquiry will look at not just the New South Wales police response and the criminal investigation surrounding the events in Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon, but also this offender’s interactions with the NSW government, in New South Wales Health and government agencies, as well as with help from the Queensland government any interactions that this man had in that state.”

'Evil' long before mass murder, schoolmates claim

Josh Hanrahan

From Harrison State HIgh School's Facebook group a school picture has been posted of Joel Cauchi.

Schoolmates of mass murderer Joel Cauchi have claimed he was "evil" long before he was responsible for the deaths of six people at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre.

Cauchi was a student at Harristown State High School in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, until graduating in the early 2000s.

After news broke of his horrific knife attack on five women and one man about 3pm on Saturday, those who sat beside him in class shared his yearbook photo to a Facebook group for former students.

It led to fierce debate between Cauchi's classmates of more than 20 years ago, with some saying he had "evil inside him" and others telling how they had bumped into him recently.

"He looks evil in this photo," one former schoolmate wrote.

"I agree, there was definitely evil inside him," another responded.

One of his former classmates said they had seen Cauchi earlier this year walking through Grand Central Shopping Centre in Toowoomba, and were shocked at a significant change in his appearance in just a few short months.

"I saw him about three months ago in Grandy, and had seen him frequently, but he was always alone," the former classmate said.

"From the pictures shared he has lost a significant amount of weight in those short months."

Major update on youngest victim

The youngest victim of the violent rampage has stabilised in hospital.

The condition of a baby who underwent emergency surgery to save her life after being stabbed has improved to serious but stable.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed the news on Monday morning as he provided an update on the condition of the eight victims who remain in hospital.

“I speak on behalf of the entire nation who held its breath over the weekend that (the) young nine month old girl who went to Sydney Children’s Hospital is now in a serious, stable condition,” he told 2GB.

“So she’s come down from critical.

“There is a chance over the course of the next day that she’ll be moved on to a ward. Now that is incredibly relieving, I think, for our country."

Her mother, Ash Good, was among the six people killed on Saturday, she heroically thrust her young bub into the arms of strangers after they had been attacked.

Kyle reveals family impact

William Tyson

Kyle Sandilands on the set of Australian Idol. Picture: Channel 7.

Kyle Sandilands has revealed a member of his family was stabbed during the terrifying Westfield Bondi Junction attack that killed six people and injured another 12 on Saturday afternoon.

The radio said that his wife Tegan’s aunt was stabbed in the shoulder while shopping near Chanel.

The family member, Yvonne Wineberg, was saved by Bondi Rescue star Andy Reid who came to her aid.

“He (Andy Reid) said he could see our family member that got stabbed laying on the ground,' Sandilands explained on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Monday.

“He told them to let him out of Myer because if he doesn't get to her, she is going to die.

“So they let him out and he ran to assistance until the paramedics arrived.”

Yvonne Wineberg, who was discharged from Prince of Wales Hospital on Sunday. Picture: Supplied.

The KIIS radio host said Yvonne has been discharged from hospital and is recovering from her injuries at home.

On Sunday morning, lifeguard Andy Reid spoke of the horrors he saw in the shopping centre and how he helped Yvonne amid the chaos.

The lifeguard was buying a bed when a retail worker told him “Everyone has to leave, people are being stabbed outside.”

After the shutters came down in Myer where Reidy was seeking refuge, he spotted Yvonne in desperate need of help and without hesitation, the father of three asked to be let out so he could render first aid.

“I just saw a lady that was bleeding really badly and I was like, ‘I’ve got to get down there and help,’” Mr Reid told The Daily Telegraph.

“The shutters were down on level four and I said to the guy ‘You have to let me out, I’ve got to help this lady’.

“I went around the corner of the escalators and what I saw next was…horrendous.
“There were multiple victims spread out over 50 metres.”

The lifeguard used clothes from a nearby store to stem the bleeding on Yvonne.

Massacre victim had just finished call with overseas partner

The final victim of the Bondi Westfield stabbing massacre was on the phone to her fiance just minutes before she was stabbed while shopping.

Chinese national Yixuan Cheng, 27, was killed along with five others by crazed Queensland man Joel Cauchi during a horrific stabbing rampage on Saturday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any family here in Australia,” Nine News reporter Sarah Stewart said.

“Police spent the day yesterday trying to contact her family back home in China. She was simply at Westfield on Saturday shopping like everybody else.”

According to Chinese media, Ms Cheng was studying for a master’s degree in economics at the University of Sydney.

On the day of the stabbing, Ms Cheng had finished some exams and had travelled to the shopping centre in Sydney’s eastern suburbs to try on some clothes.

Her fiance in China, known only as Mr Wang, told a Chinese publication he had spoken to Ms Cheng on WeChat just moments before the attack unfolded.

Mr Wang desperately tried to contact Ms Cheng after discovering there had been a stabbing.

“I contacted her day and night, but there was no response at all. The whole family was so anxious that they didn’t dare to think too much.”

Harrowing photos supplied to local media purportedly show Ms Cheng taking selfies while shopping at Westfield before her tragic death.

In a cruel double blow, Mr Wang revealed he had plans to marry Ms Cheng after she graduated at the end of the year.

It’s understood he has booked a flight to Sydney.

Ms Cheng’s last text to her partner innocently discussed shopping for clothes before communication ceased.

Bondi Junction stabbing massacre: Live coverage

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