A young woman says she was shocked to see the ‘real gentleman’ she once dated was the deranged mass murderer behind the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing.
The Gold Coast woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told Daily Mail Australia about her brief relationship with crazy knifeman, Joel Cauchi, 40.
Cauchi was shot dead by lone policewoman, Amy Scott, on Saturday afternoon after stabbing five women and a man to death and wounding at least a dozen others, including a nine-month-old baby.
But the woman said she barely recognized the savage killer – who stabbed the child in her pram – from the man she met on the Badoo dating app in April 2020.
A woman who previously dated Westfield Bondi Junction knifeman Joel Cauchi has revealed he was a ‘true gentleman’ (pictured, a photo Cauchi sent to the woman between 2020 and 2021)
The woman (pictured), who does not want to be identified, met Cauchi in 2020 and spent a year messaging him
“I spoke to him for a while and then had a few drinks with him at his house in Brisbane. He lived there with roommates,” she said.
‘He was a nice man when I met him, decidedly quiet and reserved. I’m just very shocked by what happened.
“It’s hard to believe he killed these innocent people.”
She described Cauchi as a “true gentleman” but admitted they had only met in person once because he was not her type.
Despite this, the couple continued their relationship into 2021.
‘He was a very nice guy. Well spoken. “I only saw him once, but we texted for a year after that,” she said.
‘He seemed a bit too nerdy to me, to be honest, but we still kept in touch. I live on the Gold Coast and he lived in Brisbane at the time.”
Despite Cauchi’s father previously telling Daily Mail Australia that the 40-year-old led a “backpacker” lifestyle, alternating between sleeping in his car and cheap hostels, the Gold Coast woman did not recall Cauchi having an interest in traveling .
‘He never said he would travel to me. That’s why I was surprised he was in Bondi,” she said.
Another woman who claims to have dated Cauchi said she stopped dating him because of his strange behavior.
‘We went to church together. “I had a few coffee dates with him, but he had compulsions,” she said.
‘It was a bit weird so I stopped messaging him, then he said he was leaving. I’m in shock.’
Cauchi (pictured) stabbed six people to death at Westfield Bondi Junction shortly before 4pm on Saturday
The Gold Coast woman said Cauchi was ‘quiet’, ‘reserved’ and ‘nerdy’ (Photo: A photo Cauchi sent the woman between 2020 and 2021)
Since the shocking attack, several people who claim to have known or attended a school alongside Cauchi have shared different stories about him online.
One person, who claimed to be part of the knifeman’s “close circle of friends” during high school in Toowoomba in south-east Queensland, provided some background on Cauchi’s reported strange behaviour.
“He was one of those boys at school who was shy, always a little on the weird side, but when he did something it was always full out,” they wrote.
‘In retrospect, he probably didn’t handle things very well.
‘Disappeared from the radar after school, but as far as I know he did not maintain any friendships with his circle of schoolmates.’
They believe Cauchi was suffering from mental illness at the time of Saturday’s Westfield attack, a theory shared by police and welcomed by his distraught parents.
Cauchi was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager and his parents said he had stopped taking his medication, which had caused his psychosis.
“It may seem like misplaced empathy, but the Joel I knew would not have been himself, would not have been in charge of his actions as he attacked those people,” the friend wrote.
“If there’s a lesson, it’s that mental illness is a bitch and we shouldn’t mess with it.
‘We shouldn’t be too hard on getting help ourselves when we need it, and when people reach out to us for connection, we should see it for what it is and not ignore them.
“Joel is certainly not the only one having a hard time.”
Joel Cauchi (pictured) was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager and it is understood he was not taking any medication at the time of the attack
Cauchi’s mother (pictured) and father described Saturday’s stabbing as “truly horrific” and said they have “no issues” with the officer who fatally shot their son
They also shared their condolences with the loved ones of the six shoppers who were killed and injured.
“I know it’s no comfort to the victims, the whole thing is a bloody tragedy for them and their families, for Joel and his family, and for everyone involved in the event who now doesn’t feel safe being there.” to go shopping. ‘ They wrote.
The six people killed in Saturday’s rampage have been identified as mother Ashlee Good, 38, advertising heiress Dawn Singleton, 25, architect Jade Young, 47, artist Pikria Darchia, 55, and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, and Chinese student Yixuan Cheng, 27.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park confirmed on Monday morning that the condition of Ashlee Good’s nine-month-old daughter has declined from ‘critical’ to ‘severe’.
The baby was rushed from Westfield Bondi Junction to Sydney Children’s Hospital after her mother handed her over to strangers when they were attacked by Cauchi.
NSW Police do not believe the stabbing was a terrorism incident, instead pointing to Cauchi’s history of mental illness.
His parents, Andrew and Michele Cauchi, spoke from their family home in Toowoomba on Sunday, calling the tragedy “truly horrific”.
They admitted their knife-obsessed son was a “monster” who hated women because he was “frustrated” at not being able to find a girlfriend, they said.
“He wanted a girlfriend and he has no social skills,” Cauchi said. “He was insanely frustrated.”
It’s understood Cauchi filed a police report against his mother and father (pictured) for ‘stealing’ his collection of knives after he became obsessed
Six people were stabbed to death during the Cauchi rampage and at least a dozen others were injured, including a nine-month-old baby girl.
The family appears to have had a strained relationship with some neighbors, who claimed they last saw Cauchi banging on his parents’ door, which they refused to open.
Only two months earlier, Cauchi had filed a complaint against them for ‘stealing’ his knife collection.
It is understood his parents took over his collection due to their growing concerns that he might be a danger to themselves or others.
Cauchi’s close friend also shared their experiences with his family.
“I played at his house a few times when I was in high school, and he played at my place,” they said.
‘His mother was the sweetest ever, father was prone to outbursts – in the few cases I saw – although in the mid-nineties it probably wouldn’t have been labeled that way.’
Cauchi’s father is known in the town for being “very religious” and for breeding racing pigeons. He currently cares for about 700 of the birds.
A neighbor told Daily Mail Australia the couple expected Cauchi to come home this week as they needed help moving some pigeons due to noise and odor complaints.
The parents reportedly quickly recognized their son from the footage of Saturday’s attack and frantically contacted police to identify him.
The Cauchis said in a statement that they had “no problems” with the actions of the officer who fatally shot their son.
Cauchi’s parents said: ‘We are absolutely devastated by the traumatic events that have taken place in Sydney’ (pictured, witnesses talking to an officer at the scene)
“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 currently receiving treatment.
“Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to understand what happened.
‘He has been struggling with psychological problems since he was a teenager.
“We are in contact with both the NSW Police and Queensland Police 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 doing well.”
