The parents of Bondi Junction killer Joel Cauchi say they are deeply shocked by their son's actions.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Andrew Cauchi said his son was a “beautiful” boy who “let himself down” when he stopped taking his medication.
Mr Cauchi spoke of his pain and sympathy for the families who lost loved ones when his son went on a rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction, killing six people and injuring others.
“I am so very sorry, my heart breaks for you,” Mr Cauchi said outside his home in Rockville, near Toowoomba.
“This is so horrible, I can't even explain it.
“I'm just devastated, I love my son.”
Mr Cauchi said his son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia since he was 17 and he decided to stop taking the medication because he was feeling better.
“I became my son's servant when I found out he was mentally ill. I became his servant because I loved the boy,” he said.
“He let himself down. His medication was stopped because he was doing so well, but then he left for Brisbane.
“You don't know how beautiful that boy was. This is impossible. I did everything in my power to help my son.
“I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do or say to bring back the dead.
“I love a monster. To you he is a monster, but to me he was a very sick boy.
“I would give my life for him. How can you love a monster and give birth to it?”
When asked why he believed his son had specifically targeted women during the shooting spree, Mr Cauchi said he could understand why New South Wales Police believed that was his motive.
“He wanted a girlfriend, but he had no social skills and was completely frustrated,” he said.
Cauchi's mother, Michele, said her son's behavior was “completely out of character” for him despite his mental health problems.
“I am so sorry for what our son did,” Ms. Cauchi said on Monday.
“We don't know why he did that, it was not his character at all.
“He grew up in love, he was a loved child and was under the care of his doctors for about 18 years, he took his medication well and then asked the doctor to lower the dose.
“He did this over a period of years.”
Ms Cauchi said she did not believe her son was aware of what he was doing during his violent rampage through Westfield.
“It’s the absolute nightmare of any parent who has a mentally ill child for something like this to happen,” she said.
“If he were of sound mind, he would be completely devastated by what he did.
“He was obviously not in his right mind, he was somehow thrown into a psychosis and lost touch with reality.”
Ms Cauchi said her son was well-liked by everyone he knew before his diagnosis of schizophrenia.
“We are ordinary people who raised our son as best as we could,” she said.
“He got a degree, we helped him. Everyone was very supportive. His teachers liked him, he was top of his class, he worked hard.
“He had a lot of friends growing up. He had a lot of friends until he got sick.”
Ms Cauchi urged anyone who has a mentally ill relative to seek support, for example from the Arafmi support service.
She explained how difficult it can be to support someone who has decided to stop taking their medication because they feel well enough.
Last year, Cauchi called the police and claimed that his father had been violent towards him. No charges were filed against either man.
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Roger Lowe confirmed on Sunday that police were aware of an incident involving the Cauchi family. The 40-year-old had called police about his parents.
Mr Cauchi said his son brought “six to seven US Army knives” into the family home and confiscated them out of concern.
“I took US army knives from him when I took him from Brisbane and he went crazy, he exploded. He was really angry,” Mr Cauchi said.
“He called the police and accused me of stealing his knives. I didn't steal his knives, I borrowed them.
“I was concerned about having these knives in my house.
“I had no concerns that my son would hurt me, but if your son came in with five or six U.S. Army knives, you would be concerned.”
Mr Cauchi said he hoped that in the future there would be an investigation into how incidents involving people with mental health problems were handled.
“It’s horrifying to see your own son do something like that,” he said.
“I don't blame the Toowoomba Police or the NSW Police, but when it comes to mental illness, it's about us thinking more about what they can do, how they can do it and what can be done about it.”
Flowers were delivered to their home in Darling Downs, west of Brisbane, on Monday morning as Cauchi's parents come to terms with the actions and death of their 40-year-old son.
The couple spent Monday morning completing their household chores ahead of an expected visit from NSW Police Detectives.
New South Wales Police Minister Yasmin Catley said investigators would be sent to Queensland following the deadly attack in Bondi Junction.
“The New South Wales Police will be sending a contingent of investigators to Queensland to interview the perpetrator's family. They will also be conducting discussions and interviews with the Health Department and Queensland Police,” she said.
“That's because we know where most of the interactions with the offender took place and that will help put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure out how he ended up in NSW.”
It is unclear when police are expected to arrive at the house in Rockville.
The Cauchi family has lived in the quiet suburban home for more than 45 years and raised their son Joel in the Darling Downs community.
Late Sunday, the Cauchi family issued a statement following the fatal attack at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping centre on April 13.
“We are absolutely shocked by the traumatic events that occurred in Sydney yesterday,” they said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims and those currently receiving treatment.
“Joel's actions were truly horrific and we are still trying to understand what happened. He has struggled with mental health issues since his youth.”
They also expressed their support for Inspector Amy Scott, who shot her son, because she was “just doing her job to protect others and we hope she copes well.”
On Monday, his family told the media that they would not make any further comment.
Cauchi grew up in Toowoomba and attended Harristown State High School as a teenager.
A former schoolmate said on social media that he grew up with Cauchi and played with him as a child at his house in Rockville.
“He was one of those people at school who was shy, always a bit weird, but whenever he did something, he did it full steam ahead,” said his former schoolmate.
“In retrospect, he probably didn’t handle it very well.
“After school he disappeared from the scene, but to my knowledge he did not maintain any friendships with his school friends.”
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Roger Lowe said Cauchi was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 17.
The 40-year-old had been receiving treatment, but his mental health had deteriorated “in recent years.”
Police believe Cauchi last had contact with his family in March, but “regularly sent text messages to his mother with information about his whereabouts.”
The Police Minister confirmed that Cauchi had no contact with New South Wales state mental health services, “so he was unknown in New South Wales in that respect.”
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