Bondi stabbings: Ashlee Good’s family mourns as bollard man’s heroics praised

The family of Ashlee Good has visited the makeshift memorial at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east close to where she was killed as the PM said the hero French citizen who tried to stop the mass murderer could ‘stay as long as he wants’.

Ashlee Good’s family and friends honour her and the other victims’ memory at a makeshift memorial at Bondi Junction. Picture Thomas Lisson

The family of Ashlee Good has visited the makeshift memorial at Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east close to where she was killed, as Anthony Albanese said he would ensure the hero French citizen who tried to stop the mass murderer could “stay as long as he wants” in the country.

The family held teddy bears and hugged and cried, amid the thousands of condolence mess­ages and bunches of flowers left for Ms Good and the five other victims killed on Saturday.

They would have later heard some much-needed good news – that Ms Good’s baby was moved out of intensive care and on to the ward, and is now in a serious but still stable condition.

Six patients continued to receive care in hospitals across Sydney after Joel Cauchi, whose family said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and who was obsessed with combat knives, went on his stabbing spree.

On Tuesday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said police were investigating whether the killings were premeditated, including whether Cauchi had visited at least two other shopping centres in the lead-up to the Bondi Junction attack.

“(We) will be looking at all those angles,” she said.

Cauchi’s father has said he warned police last year his son had schizophrenia and a fascination with combat knives, and believes he may have targeted women because he couldn’t get a girlfriend.

Andrew Cauchi and wife Michele revealed their son had come off medication after reducing it under the supervision of a doctor.

The Prime Minister called the so-called “bollard man” Damien Guerot “a hero” who can “stay as long as he wants as far as I’m ­concerned”.

“I’ve spoken to the (Immigration) Minister today to ensure he’s looked after. I think Australians who watched that footage on Saturday will be in awe of him,” Mr Albanese told Sydney radio 2GB.

“This guy is a French national who stood … at the top of those escalators stopping this perpetrator from getting near more citizens. It’s an extraordinarily brave thing to do and that’s a sort of person all of us want to be around.”

Mr Guerot previously told 7News: “We just saw him coming … we were thinking ‘We need to try to stop him’ … We tried to throw the bollard. We really wanted to stop him.”

Peter Dutton backed Mr Albanese’s decision. “I support the Prime Minister’s generous offer … we shouldn’t be afraid of wanting people to come to our country who are the best people,” the Opposition Leader said. “When you look at the images of that young French citizen standing at the top of the escalator with a bollard, putting his own life at risk to protect others, he embodies the Anzac spirit and we would want people of that character in our country.

“I think it is a good call by the Prime Minister and I’m happy to support it.”

Mental health professionals including APS president Catriona Davis-McCabe said the public should not make assumptions about Cauchi’s behaviour and the reasons for it.

“While the formal review of the Bondi Junction incident is underway, it is important that we do not draw conclusions about the reasons for the attacker’s behaviour. For most people with complex mental health issues like schizophrenia, proper evidence-based psychological treatment and ongoing support helps them to live well and thrive in the community,” she said. “Under-treated or untreated mental ill-health can escalate into violent behaviour (but) people with mental health issues are more likely to be victims of ­violence than perpetrators.”