No one can know the mind of Sydney shopping mall killer Joel Cauchi, but psychiatrists say one underlying cause of his rampage is evident: he had schizophrenia, stopped his medication and fell out of treatment.
Sydney – No one can know the mind of Sydney shopping mall killer Joel Cauchi, but psychiatrists say one underlying cause of his rampage is evident: he had schizophrenia, stopped his medication and fell out of treatment.
People have searched for a fathomable motive since the 13 April knife attack at Bondi Junction, in which five women and a male security guard were stabbed to death and another dozen wounded, including a nine-month-old girl.
Cauchi’s parents have said their son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17 and was successfully treated for about 18 years.
A serious mental disorder, schizophrenia can cause hallucinations, delusions and disordered behaviour. It requires lifelong treatment.
New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said it was « obvious » to her and detectives that the 40-year-old Cauchi had targeted women and avoided men, sparking a media debate about misogyny in Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the gender breakdown among the victims as « concerning » and vowed to do more to combat violence against women, citing a toll of one woman dying at the hands of a man they knew every week.
« But we will never know what was in the mind of the perpetrator of these acts, » said Professor Ian Hickie, co-director of health and policy at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre.
« Ordinary people are trying to impose a rational explanation, » he told AFP. « The most obvious one is the irrational mind of the perpetrator.
