The estranged parents of a knife-wielding man behind a murderous Sydney shopping centre rampage contacted police after recognising him in footage of the incident on television.
Queenslander Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed six people to death and seriously wounded 12 others in a killing spree before being shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Bondi mass stabber Joel Cauchi had ‘significant mental health issues’
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“At this stage, it will appear related to the mental health of the individual,” NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Anthony Cooke said.
As vision emerged of the incident, Cauchi’s family — with whom he only made periodic contact — recognised him and contacted the police.
“The family, when they viewed footage of the event on TV, thought that may well have been their son and they reached out to authorities,” Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Roger Lowe said.
“Their first thoughts for us were to express their concerns regarding the families and victims of these crimes and in particular their thoughts around the police officer who had bravely acted in such a manner.”
Family’s statement
Cauchi’s family issued a statement on Sunday afternoon, declaring they were absolutely devastated by the traumatic events and expressing their sorrow for the victims.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those still undergoing treatment at this time,” they said in a statement issued by Queensland Police.
“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.”
They said they were in contact with NSW and Queensland police and had “no issues with the police officer who shot our son”.
“She was only doing her job to protect others and we hope she is coping alright,” the family said.
Cauchi moved to Sydney from Queensland in March and rented a small Kennard’s storage unit in Waterloo.
It is believed he was living rough, sleeping in a car and backpack hotels.
“Our understanding from speaking to the family (is) he has been an itinerant,” Lowe said.
Neighbours of the family’s Toowoomba home were in disbelief, with one telling 7NEWS they felt “just shock”, adding: “When I heard his name this morning, I couldn’t believe it”.
They say he suffered from schizophrenia and had an estranged relationship with his parents.
“I think it was a couple of months ago, he was knocking on the door. I don’t know whether they weren’t home but no one answered.”
His father was seen returning to the family’s Toowoomba residence late on Sunday.
Queensland Police have had no contact with Cauchi since December, when he was street-checked on the Gold Coast.
Lowe said police had mostly been in contact with Cauchi in the past four to five years and indicated Cauchi’s mental health had declined.
“The man has never been arrested by police in Queensland nor has he been charged with any criminal offence,” he said.
Cauchi had no record of being subject to a domestic violence order, despite most of his victims being women.
A Queensland Health spokesperson confirmed Cauchi had been “treated for mental health issues more than a decade ago but his care was transferred to a psychiatrist in the private sector in 2012”.
CCTV footage in the hours before the attack showed Cauchi, wearing a black backpack, ordering a meal from a Vietnamese restaurant on Oxford Street.
Cauchi had previously set up an online escort profile, which did not feature any explicit images, that described himself as an “athletic good-looking 39-year-old guy”.
“Let me gently massage all of your body,” the now-deleted profile read.
Google reviews under the name Joel Cauchi suggest he also frequented a brothel and strip clubs across NSW and Queensland.
His now-deleted Facebook profile stated he grew up in Toowoomba and studied at Harristown State High School and the University of Southern Queensland. School friends say he was prone to random outbursts of anger.
In a post from his account to a Facebook group in December 2020, Cauchi was looking to meet up with “groups of people who shoot guns, including handguns”.
“Please send me a DM (direct message) if you can help me out! I live in Brisbane by the way,” he wrote.
Cauchi’s social media profile indicated he worked as an online English tutor and he notified another Facebook group of plans to go surfing at Bondi six days before the attack.
– with AAP