“He’s my son and I’m loving a monster. For you, he’s a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy.”
The heartbroken parents of Joel Cauchi, the 40-year-old who killed six and injured a dozen in a stabbing spree in eastern Sydney, have spoken about their son from their family home in Toowoomba.
Cauchi, armed with a knife, was shot dead by a police officer after he carried out the mass attack at a Westfield shopping centre in Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon.
His parents Andrew and Michele Cauchi, who have expressed their sorrow for the victims and their devastation at their son’s actions, said Joel had been off medication for his mental illness.
Talking to reporters from outside their home in Toowoomba, Michele said the attack was out of character.
“He was brought up in love, he was a loved child,” she said.
“This is a parent’s absolute nightmare when they have a child with mental illness, that something like this will happen.
“My heart goes out to the people our son has hurt.
“If he was in his right mind he would be absolutely devastated.”
Andrew said he has been watching through vision from inside the shopping centre trying to understand what happened.
“This is so horrendous that I can’t even explain it,” he said.
“I don’t know why he would do this, I’ve done everything I can to help him.
“He’s my son and I’m loving a monster. For you, he’s a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy.”
