SYDNEY mall attacker Joel Cauchi had an “obvious” goal of targeting women in his deadly knife rampage, according to police.
The killer’s dad has spoken out after his son murdered five women and one man at the weekend, saying Cauchi “wanted a girlfriend”.
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Cauchi, 40, attacked 17 people – three male and 14 female – at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday.
Among the wounded were a nine-month-old baby and her mum Dr Ashlee Good, 38, who died from her injuries in hospital.
Police have now said it was “obvious” the killer focused on women.
New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb told ABC News: “The videos speak for themselves, don’t they?
More on the Sydney stabbing
“It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives… that the offender focused on women and avoided the men.
“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.”
The commissioner said it was “a line of inquiry” that the attacker “focused on women and avoided the men” during his stabbing spree.
Before Dr Good tragically died in hospital, five others were declared dead in the shopping centre after being brutally attacked by Cauchi.
The other female victims killed are Jade Young, 47; Pikria Darchia, 55; Dawn Singleton, 25; Ashlee Good, 38; and Cheng Yixuan, 27.
Security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who tried to intervene, was the only male killed in the horrific onslaught.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that “the gender breakdown is, of course, concerning”.
The killer’s dad, Andrew, told reporters on Monday that his son, who long battled with mental illness, had come off his anti-psychotic medication shortly before unleashing terror on his victims.
He said: “To you he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy.”
When asked why his son may have targeted women, he added: “He wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain.”
The tearful dad said he loved his son but he had “a fascination with knives” and owned “five or six commando knives”
He continued: “He had a problem with women, he couldn’t get a girlfriend”.
He wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain
Andrew Cauchi
Cauchi’s mum Michele said her son was “brought up in love” and “if he was in his right mind, he would be absolutely devastated at what he has done” but he “lost touch with reality”.
Killer Cauchi was shot dead by hero cop Inspector Amy Scott in the Bondi Junction shopping centre after he stabbed his many victims.
Dramatic video showed her chase the knifeman down a hall before she confronted him front on, shooting him dead when he turned to face her and raised his 12in blade in the air.
The cop, who had been passing the shopping centre when she heard about the attack, yelled “put it down” before firing.
On Sunday, Cauchi’s parents Andrew and Michele described their son’s actions as “truly horrific” and said they had “no issues” with Insp Scott as “she was only doing her job to protect others”.
Cauchi, a teacher turned male escort, launched his senseless spree on Saturday by stabbing a baby girl as she lay in her pram.
He then stabbed the infant’s horrified mum Dr Ashlee Good, who threw her daughter to two nearby men in a final act of love.
The two men, brothers, pressed shirts from a shop to the baby and Dr Good’s wounds to try and stop the bleeding.
After hours of emergency surgery, Dr Good’s family reported the baby girl is now “doing well”.
A cruel twist of fate saw cop Ashley Wildey called to the Bondi Junction shopping centre where his fiancee and high school sweetheart Dawn Singleton was murdered.
A source said: “Ashley had arrived at Westfield when officers realised his fiancée was one of the victims.”
Victims named
Pals said 25-year-old Dawn, who worked for fashion house White Fox Boutique, had already bought her wedding dress and had been sending out wedding invitations with Ashley.
Among Cauchi’s other victims who were declared dead at the scene were 55-year-old Pikria Darchia, originally from Tbilisi in Georgia, and 47-year-old Sydney architect Jade Young.
Pakistan-born security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, had emigrated to Australia a year ago and was on his first shift at the shopping centre.
Chinese national Yixuan Cheng, 27, was identified by police as the sixth victim.
She is said to have travelled to Australia to study economics at the University of Sydney.
Killer’s past
Four people who were injured during the violent rampage have been discharged from hospital, as another eight continue to receive care – some in serious conditions.
Cauchi was known to police before the attack for mental health-related matters and is said to have lived with schizophrenia and used drugs including methamphetamine and psychedlics.
He posted an advertisement online mid-last year offering his services as a male escort in which he presented himself as an “athletic good looking 39-year-old guy”.
The surfer, described by “weird” and “strange”, is known to have been obsessed with knives – and even once called police to claim “domestic violence” after his parents hid knives from him.
Police investigated the incident but did not take any action as no domestic violence had been committed, the Courier Mail reports.
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