Sydney stabbing attack: Westfield malls in New Zealand and Australia get extra security in wake of tragedy

Joel Cauchi’s victims were Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ash Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, and Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30.

Shoppers at Westfield malls in New Zealand can expect to see beefed-up security in the wake of Sydney’s mass stabbing attack, the property owner says.

The attacker, Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people and wounded a further 12 in a knife rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday. He was shot dead by a policewoman, the first emergency responder on the scene.

Cauchi’s victims were Yixuan Cheng, 27, Pikria Darchia, 55, Dawn Singleton, 25, Ash Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, and Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30.

The 9-month-old baby he injured was still in hospital but her condition had been downgraded from critical to serious and she was stable.

Flags flew at half-mast across Australia yesterday, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying “we grieve together, as one”. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said there was a reflective mood in Sydney yesterday morning.

Killer ‘was a very sick boy’ - parents

Cauchi’s father spoke to media for the first time since the callous attack, calling his son a “very sick boy” and revealing he hated women out of frustration from not being able to get a girlfriend.

“To you, he’s a monster but to me, he was a very sick boy.”

His parents were in tears as they spoke to media outside their home. His mother said she was “so sorry” for what her son had done, the Daily Mail reported.

Joel Cauchi, 40.

Cauchi inside Westfield Bondi Junction wielding a knife during his mass stabbing rampage on Saturday.

Cauchi's father Andrew Cauchi said his son was 'a very sick boy' who was frustrated he could not get a girlfriend. Photo / Daily Mail

Meanwhile, new details about Cauchi’s movements before his rampage have emerged.

Security camera footage from hours beforehand showed him walking out of a restaurant when he didn’t have enough money to buy a curry, returning to the restaurant, and then stumbling around the mall.

Earlier, details of his dark past revealed he had an obsession with knives, had a history of mental illness - having been diagnosed with schizophrenia at 17, and had worked as a male escort - selling sexual services on the internet.

Cauchi’s victims

Five of the people Cauchi killed were named on Sunday. The last person to be identified was Cheng, a student from China.

Cheng was on the phone to her partner when she was stabbed, the Daily Mail said. She had planned to marry after she graduated from the University of Sydney later this year.

Darchia, an artist from Georgia, was a mother to two sons. On her Facebook page, members of the public left comments, with one woman writing: “Your life was stolen too soon. Condolences to your friends and family grieving you.”

Victims of Bondi stabbing tragedy, (from top left) Ash Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Dawn Singleton, 25, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30, Pikria Darchia, 55 and Yixuan Cheng, 27.

The first two victims to be named were Singleton and Good, the mother of the 9-month-old girl who was also injured during the attack.

The third victim was identified as Young, a mother to two daughters and an active member in her community in Bellevue Hill in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. A GoFundMe fundraising drive was set up to support her bereft family with some $30,000 already raised.

The fourth was a refugee from Pakistan, Tahir. He was a security guard at the mall and the only man killed.

Malls get extra security

The chief executive of Scentre Group, the owner of 42 Westfield malls around Australia and New Zealand, told media the Bondi Junction mall would soon be reopened.

He paid respect to his security guard Tahir, saying he “lost his life trying to protect members of the public”, Elliott Rusanow said.

Scentre Group would review its security procedures at its mall, as well as doing its own investigations into Cauchi’s rampage and how it happened.

Inspector Amy Scott has been hailed as a hero for shooting and killing Cauchi during his rampage before he managed to kill more. Photo / News.com.au

Still taken from 9News coverage showing heavily armed police entering Bondi Westfield from the roof. Photo / 9News

“Since this event, security has been increased throughout the entire portfolio [in] Australia and New Zealand.”

Several shoppers inside the mall tried to stop Cauchi, some defending their families, others looking after the injured baby after her mother was stabbed, and one trying to fend him off with a bollard.

The policewoman who shot and killed Cauchi was Inspector Amy Scott. She has been praised by the New South Wales Minister of Police, the state’s Police Commissioner, and by Prime Minister Albanese.

Killer had ‘no social skills’ - parents

Cauchi’s parents revealed further details about him yesterday, telling the Daily Mail he was awkward but was “top of his class” and loved by his teachers.

Andrew Cauchi at his home in Toowoomba. Photo / Patrick Hamilton

His mother, Michele Cauchi, told the Mail he allegedly targeted women during his rampage “because he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills”.

His parents phoned police to offer information when they recognised him on television news coverage of the attack. They were due to be formally interviewed as part of police investigations.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.