The hidden side of Joel Cauchi that Australians never knew about - before he brought nightmarish horror to Westfield Bondi Junction

Top of his people astatine assemblage and with the quality to talk 3 languages, the aboriginal looked agleam for Joel Cauchi.

But a bid of fateful decisions would pb to him being overlooked by authorities and detached from the intelligence wellness strategy earlier helium became 1 of Australia's worst wide killers.

The 40-year-old equipped himself with a pigging weapon erstwhile helium killed six radical and injured 10 others astatine Sydney's Westfield Bondi Junction buying centre portion experiencing a psychotic occurrence successful April 2024.

Details astir his past and intelligence wellness diminution were revealed during an inquest into the tragedy, which ended erstwhile the knife-wielding Cauchi was changeable dormant by a elder constabulary officer.

The Toowoomba antheral had been diagnosed with schizophrenia arsenic a teen aft experiencing hallucinations.

He was successfully treated for decades done a operation of anti-psychotic medicine and psychiatric attraction successful the nationalist and aboriginal backstage systems.

Cauchi was a 'high-functioning' schizophrenic who had a assemblage degree, coming apical successful his class, and could talk German and Mandarin, his parent aboriginal told Queensland police.

By June 2019, helium had been weaned disconnected the 2 drugs helium was taking aft helium complained astir the medicines' broadside effects.

Eight months later, helium moved to Brisbane to survey to go an English teacher but was chopped disconnected from his psychiatric sessions arsenic COVID-19 swept crossed the world. 

He fell disconnected the radar of intelligence wellness professionals from that point. 

But galore interactions with Queensland constabulary betwixt 2021 and 2023 should person signalled thing was wrong, the inquest into the wide stabbing heard. 

Three times - successful October 2020, November 2020 and May 2021 - Cauchi was pulled implicit by Brisbane road patrol officers erstwhile they witnessed his erratic driving.

It included rapidly braking and accelerating, and swerving into adjacent lanes. 

On each of those occasions, helium told officers helium was schizophrenic but unmedicated.

In May 2021, helium told a elder constable helium did not realise helium was driving successful the unsafe manner. 

'You didn't realise you were braking and past accelerating and past braking and past accelerating?' the serviceman asked. 

'No, no,' Cauchi replied. 

The then-37-year-old had been connected his mode to foundation Wesley Mission to get food. 

He received a informing from police.

The aforesaid month, constabulary were called to an flat analyzable successful the inner-Brisbane suburb of Kangaroo Point. 

They had been notified of a antheral screaming and the sounds of idiosyncratic being hit. When Cauchi answered his door, helium told officers helium had been slamming his fridge.

Just implicit a twelvemonth later, helium made repeated telephone calls to a Toowoomba girls precocious schoolhouse asking support to ticker events similar swimming carnivals, netball and gymnastics. 

A acrophobic unit subordinate notified police. 

From astir 2022, Cauchi's online hunt past showed his involvement successful disturbing topics specified arsenic serial killers, wide stabbings and weapons. 

'Five champion battle rifles successful the world,' 1 hunt read. 

'14 bands that serial killers loved,' different said. 

On an evening successful January 2023, Cauchi called constabulary to his parents' Toowoomba home, accusing his begetter Andrew of stealing his subject knives. 

One was the aforesaid benignant of weapon aboriginal utilized successful the buying centre attack. 

By that stage, Cauchi had discontinue studying to beryllium a teacher and returned to unrecorded with his parents aft his portion lease ran out. 

His parent Michele told constabulary her lad had been up astatine 3am making noises and stamping his feet. 

Cauchi's begetter took the knives and gave them to a person to look aft due to the fact that helium was disquieted astir his lad having them successful his existent intelligence state.

'He's been successful a rage and helium was pushing america astir a small bit,' Mrs Cauchi said.

Cauchi claimed helium would beryllium made homeless, near bankrupt and killed if the knives were not returned. 

Mrs Cauchi pleaded with officers that her lad needed help. 

'He's gone excessively acold now. He doesn't cognize helium is sick,' she said. 

'I don't cognize however we're gonna get into attraction really. Unless helium does thing drastic.' 

Speaking with different officer, Cauchi was asked astir his intelligence health. 

'Yeah, it's been, um, terrific, really ... truly good,' helium said. 

Cauchi's intelligence information was ne'er seen by constabulary arsenic being truthful atrocious that helium needed involuntary treatment, the inquest was told. 

But 1 of the officers who attended the household location was acrophobic capable to email the constabulary intelligence wellness incidental co-ordinator astir a follow-up the nighttime aft the knife-related call-out. 

That email was seen but thing further was done. 

Fifteen months later, Cauchi had go stateless and was surviving successful Sydney's eastbound suburbs earlier helium stepped into the Bondi buying centre and murdered six radical with his knife.