Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing: Chilling moment surfer realises he was talking to the killer before his deadly attack – and the knifeman’s begging plea

The man who murdered six people during a terrifying rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction asked a local for surfing lessons just months before the attack. 

Joel Cauchi, 40, stabbed five women and one man to death and critically injured 12 others with a 30cm hunting knife at about 3.20pm on Saturday. 

Cauchi was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott who has been hailed a hero for ending the killing spree and giving CPR to the victims.

Bondi man Stefan Deutsch shared the disturbing moment he realised he had exchanged Facebook messages with Cauchi just six months earlier. 

Mr Deutsch shared a screenshot of their short interaction on TikTok, which began after Cauchi responded to his advert for surfing lessons. 

‘Hi I am interested in the surfing lessons in Sydney, can I apply please?’ Cauchi said. 

‘Hi, yes I can give you surf lessons!’ Mr Deutsch replied. 

‘Is it free?’ Cauchi asked. 

‘Heya, no, it’s not free sorry,’ Mr Deutsch said.  

Cauchi read the message but never replied. 

Just six days before the attack, Cauchi invited Sydneysiders to join him for a surf at Bondi Beach in a post shared to a Facebook group for beginner surfers.

‘Hi I am surfing Bondi this afternoon if anyone wants to meet there for a surf!’ he said.

Less than a week later, Cauchi would be shot dead after killing five women and one man in a violent stabbing spree that has shocked the world. 

The victims include:

Cauchi’s motives are yet to be confirmed, but NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said on Monday that he had appeared to target women and avoid men. 

‘The videos speak for themselves, don’t they?’ she said. ‘That’s certainly a line of inquiry for us. 

‘It’s obvious to me, it’s obvious to detectives that seems to be an area of interest that the offender had focused on women and avoided the men.

‘As you know, and has been reported, five of the deceased are women. And the majority of victims in hospital are also women. 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, were around him and close to him. 

‘So we can get some insight into what he might have been thinking. We won’t know necessarily. But we have to take a judgement from those who know him.’

Cauchi was known to police and had been living in Sydney sporadically over the past couple of years. He was reportedly sleeping rough and had no fixed address. 

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17, and it’s understood he has a history of being obsessed with knives.

While living with his parents in Toowoomba, south-east Queensland, they became so worried about his fixation that they took his knives away from him.

His parents, Andrew and Michelle, declined to speak with media after earlier describing their son Joel Cauchi’s murderous rampage as ‘truly horrific’.

His parents learnt about the horror when they recognised their son from footage on TV and made a frantic phone call to police, but by that stage it was too late. 

The Cauchis have lived in the Toowoomba suburb of Rockville for 46 years, and last saw their son just a few short months ago when the 40-year-old came for Christmas. 

They said in their statement that they have ‘no issues’ with Inspector Scott’s actions or those of the NSW Police.

‘Joel’s actions were truly horrific, and we are still trying to comprehend what has happened,’ the statement read. 

‘He has battled with mental health issues since he was a teenager.

‘We are in contact with both the New South Wales Police Force and Queensland Police Service 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 coping alright.’