Lilie James: Murder At Elite School Horrifies Australia

As Australia awoke on Thursday to the news that a body had been discovered inside the restroom of an upscale Sydney private school, shock swept the country.

After receiving a terrifying triple-zero emergency call, police arrived at St Andrew’s Cathedral School just before midnight.

They came to a “confronting scene”—21”-year-old water polo coach Lilie James, who was found dead with serious head injuries.

According to local media citing unknown sources, detectives suspect she was murdered—reportedly with a hammer—hours earlier.

According to reports, her colleague, 24-year-old hockey coach Paul Thijssen, entered the toilet after her. Thijssen, who had also called authorities, later emerged alone.

Though authorities have not commented publicly on a possible motivation, local media have claimed that Ms. James had recently concluded a relationship with Thijssen. They had barely known each other for five weeks.

Thijssen had gone after reporting the tip from Vaucluse, prompting police to begin a massive manhunt focused on the cliffside suburb.

Lilie James: Murder At Elite School Horrifies Australia

They discovered things “associated with the homicide”—the murder weapon—in a bin, as well as Thijssen’s body on Friday morning.

Ms James was recalled as a lovely friend and an ardent sportswoman as friends and relatives mourned her loss.

Along with water polo, she enjoyed dancing and swimming, and she competed in both as a teenager. She had been studying sports business at university while working at the institution.

“She was vibrant, outgoing, and very much loved by her family and friends,” said Ms. James’ family.

“We are devastated and heartbroken.”

Ms. James was “stolen from us,” according to family friend Daniel Makovec, who launched a fundraising campaign for the family.

“We will be grieving this loss forever,” he said.

The head of St. Andrew’s Cathedral School expressed her sincere worry for those involved in a statement to parents.

“The horrors of evil do not, and will not, define our community; that is my oath,” Julie McGonigle declared.

Mr. Thijssen, a Dutch national, was a previous sports captain at the school before joining the faculty.

Lilie James: Murder At Elite School Horrifies Australia

Ms. James’s death was described as a “horrible, horrible crime” by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, who also expressed his sympathies to her family.

“[It is] one of the worst that I’ve seen in my public life, and I can only imagine what [the] family is going through right now,” he added in a statement.

The case has sparked debate about how Australia has long struggled to address what is commonly referred to as the country’s “epidemic” of domestic violence.

According to the Counting Dead Women initiative, Ms. James is the 41st Australian woman to die this year as a result of gendered violence.

In the last ten days, men have reportedly murdered three women they knew: South Australian Krystal Marshall, an anonymous Canberra lady, and Ms. James. They were all inside their own houses or offices.

Tarang Chawla, a gender violence reform activist whose sister was murdered by her partner in 2015, said Ms James’ death is a “tragic reminder of the dark, insidious reality of men’s violence against women.”

“I look at the photos of Lilie and I remember my own 23-year-old sister Niki and how I felt after she was murdered,” he wrote in an Instagram post.

“Lilie, I’m sorry we failed you.”

While the country mourns, crucial questions about how to keep women safe are being raised once more.

Since 2010, Australia has had a national plan to End violence against Women and Children, yet statistics reveal that violence rates remain persistently high.

Last year, a new 10-year plan was unveiled with measurable goals. It emphasises early intervention, improved police and court responses, greater emergency housing, and increased trauma assistance for victim-survivors.

However, Karen Bevan, CEO of Full Stop Australia, believes that “cultural attitudes towards gender equality and violence against women” are at the root of Australia’s domestic abuse epidemic.

According to a recent survey, while more than 90% of Australians acknowledge that violence against women is a national problem, only under half believe it is a problem in their local suburb or town.

According to the same poll, around four out of ten Australians believe men and women are equally likely to conduct domestic abuse.

Ms Bevan believes that addressing “myths and misconceptions” about how and why violence against women happens, as well as increasing “community understanding,” is critical.

Jodie Harrison, the NSW Minister for Domestic Violence Prevention, has also urged the community to be more vigilant in reporting “inappropriate behavior” in the aftermath of Ms. James’ death.

“That’s really the start of a lack of safety for women and children,” she told the Guardian Australia.

“It is up to each and every one of us. The government can support programmes, but those funds will be wasted until individuals take responsibility for themselves.”

However, proponents argue that more financing and tools to track success are also required.

“For all the violence elsewhere that we condemn, Australia has a problem that we urgently need to fix,” Mr Chawla told reporters.

SOURCE – (BBC)