Bondi Junction Westfield stabbing: Joel Cauchi's dad lashes out trends now
EXCLUSIVE
The father of the deranged knifeman who stabbed six people to death and injured at least 12 more with a 30cm hunting knife has lashed out in a bitter doorstep spray.
Westfield Bondi Junction knifeman Joel Cauchi's father, Andrew, unloaded in a furious outburst outside the family home in Toowoomba, south-east Queensland, on Monday morning.
He blasted media for their lack of compassion before tending to the flock of hundreds of pigeons he cares for in the backyard of the home he shares with wife, Michele.
'How do you think I feel? How's your sensitivity,' he said.
'I felt alright until you got here.'
Joel Cauchi's father, Andrew (pictured), lashed out at reporters for their lack of 'sensitivity'
Joel Cauchi (pictured) killed five women and one man with a 30cm hunting knife at Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon
Joel's parents, Andrew and Michele (pictured), described Saturday's events as 'truly horrific'
It comes as Joel's former friends and classmates remember his sharp sense of humour at school while others described him as 'a bit weird … with compulsions'.
Joel, 40, was fatally shot by a lone policewoman after going on a stabbing rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction shortly before 4pm on Saturday.
His 'very religious' parents on Sunday described the attack as 'truly horrific' and his schoolmates recounted what they remembered about him.
Melissa Hornig claims she was friends with Joel during their school years and graduated from Harristown State High School together in 2000.
'He was a really nice kid, I was friends at school with him. You wouldn't recognise him from school. He doesn't look anything like his Year 12 picture,' she said.
'But things happen in life, you end up a monster.'
Another school friend, Layne, said he remembered Joel as humorous and witty.
'At school socials, this guy had a sharp sense of humour - he was known for his cutting satire,' he said.
Another woman who said she went to the same church as Joel admitted spotting alarming red flags after meeting him for a couple dates.
'I went on a few coffee dates with him, but he had compulsions,' Lulu Eve posted on social media.
'It was a bit weird so I stopped messaging him, then he said he was moving away. I'm in shock.'
Dan Luxford knew Joel from playing inline hockey with him at the city's Skatehaven skating rink, which has since closed.
'He always wandered around talking to himself. Definitely some mental health issues,' he said.
Andrew Cauchi (pictured) has been described as 'very religious' and is known around Toowoomba for breeding 700 pigeons
Former classmates of Joel Cauchi (pictured) had differing accounts of him, with some recalling his sharp wit while others described him as 'a bit weird'
Five women and one man were killed in Saturday's stabbing and at least another 12 were injured, including a nine-month-old baby (pictured, emergency services at the scene)
Cauchi's parents, both in their 70s, are well-known locally for looking after around 700 pigeons at their home.
On Monday morning, Mr Cauchi was happy to talk with reporters about his pets, discussing how the different breeds he keeps are let out every day.
'Yes, the pigeons always come home,' he said.
Dressed in black shorts, a faded pink t-shirt and a black hat, Mr Cauchi filled ice-cream containers with water from a back yard tap.
He then picked up a long pole with a supermarket bag on the end of it and began twirling it around in the air to make the pigeons fly off.
When the birds returned, he filled trays with grain as the pigeons clustered around and pecked at the food.
Mr Cauchi broke out into song as he watched on, belting out the Roy Orbison classic Blue Bayou in a strong voice that echoed around the local homes.
The family's ramshackle yard with vegetables and clusters of dahlias is cluttered with boats, cars and antique industrial metal signs.
Mr Cauchi, who regularly gets deliveries of grain for his pigeon collection, has warned neighbours to beware of the rats, mice and snakes attracted to the grain stores.
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, but according to neighbours he did not show his face outside during the visit.
A neighbour who has shared a street with the family for 30 years visited Mrs Cauchi for about an hour on Sunday while a man, believed to be a family member, helped Mr Cauchi with his pigeon coops.
Another neighbour, Carol, told Daily Mail Australia Joel was due back home this week to help him reduce the number of pigeons he keeps in aviaries at the back of the property, after he received noise and odour complaints.
