Woman chased to neighbour's house before fatal stabbing

A policeman consoles a neighbour of the stabbed Glenfield woman - described as 'lovely' and 'a caring parent' - as another looks on. Picture / Brett Phibbs

A mother-of-six was pursued by a man armed with a knife before being stabbed to death in her neighbour's home yesterday.

The woman, believed to be in her 30s, fled from her North Shore home to another house, where her neighbour suffered a stab wound to his face trying to protect her.

The tragedy unfolded across several Bruce Rd properties in the suburb of Glenfield.

One of the neighbour's family told the Herald that his parents-in-law were babysitting two grandchildren when they heard banging on the door.

He said his father-in-law, who is 67, opened the door to find his neighbour being stabbed. She was pushed through the doorway and the attack continued.

The father-in-law tried to stop the attack but the knife pierced his left cheek, leaving a wound that required stitches.

The elderly man fled from the attacker down the passageway and out a kitchen window, while his 60-year-old wife and two grandchildren escaped through a livingroom window.

Their son-in-law said last night that the couple were traumatised and did not want to return to their home.

Neighbours struggled to hold back tears when describing the dead woman. "Wonderful", "lovely" and "a beautiful lady" were some of the words describing her.

A female neighbour said the dead woman had offered to babysit her disabled daughter while she was at work.

She had taken "extra special care" of her daughter for six months.

"She sure as hell didn't deserve this."

Police would not go into details of the killing but it is understood the attacker wandered around several adjoining properties looking for the woman.

Detective Senior Sergeant Gary Davey said a man known to the woman arrived at her house with a co-worker yesterday morning.

The woman was with her young child at the time but the toddler did not see the killing, said Mr Davey.

The attacker fled the scene in the woman's van and drove into a roadblock that had been set up within minutes of a 111 call to police.

Mr Davey said the driver turned into Chivalry Rd but was forced off the road by a police car and both vehicles went into the side of an unoccupied house.

The attacker ran from the wreckage and allegedly threatened a police officer with a knife before being disarmed and taken into custody.

The woman's two teenage sons were at a nearby skatepark with friends at the time and three children were at Glenfield Primary School.

The teenagers stopped at the crash site on their way home from the park, unaware of the tragedy connected to their family. They were driven away by police.

Friends of the dead woman said she had non-molestation, trespass and protection orders against her former partner, the father of four of her six children.

Police would not comment on whether there were any court orders involving the woman and her former partner.

But community agencies who had helped the woman throughout years of violence in the home said orders were in place and there was outrage last night that the system had failed to protect her.

"People who have worked with [the woman] in the community are angry she is now dead when we have asked for help," said Pam Apera, of the Beneficiaries Advocacy and Information Service in Glenfield.

Women's Refuge had sought police help for the woman "continuously", she said.

A neighbour said she had taken out a trespass order against the woman's former partner a month ago after a domestic incident.

Another neighbour said the former partner arrived at the address at all hours of the day and night and would bang on the door.

The police were often called, he said.

"There's a problem there nearly every week."

He questioned why police had not done more to protect the woman.

Police yesterday cordoned off the woman's house and at least two other homes in the block of state houses.

Her primary school-age children - students in years five, four and two - were collected from their classes by police, said principal Fiona Cavanagh.

She said the community was shocked by the killing. A support plan was being developed for pupils, staff and parents.

The woman walked her children to school every day and picked them up in the afternoon, said Mrs Cavanagh.

"She was a very caring parent to her children and she will be sadly missed by our school community."

Police received the first 111 call at 10.01am and said the alleged attacker was in custody nine minutes later.

He was taken to North Shore Hospital for unspecified injuries that Mr Davey said were not inflicted by police.

One police officer suffered a minor shoulder injury.

The employer of the man being held by police said his worker had asked him if it was all right to stop by his home and drop something off to his wife yesterday morning.

Simon Chaplin said the man was on a trial period at Waterblaster World in Glenfield.

Mr Chaplin said the man's co-worker rang the office a few minutes after they arrived at the address, saying his colleague had a knife.

"Adam got out and tried to assist and was also threatened with the knife and he rang me back. We had already phoned 111 by that stage and I said to him, 'Leave now'."