WARNING: Distressing content.
Footage of Lilie James’ killer in the moments leading up to her brutal murder at the hands of her former boyfriend inside a Sydney school are expected to be aired at an inquest on Wednesday.
Ms James, 21, died when she was brutally beaten with a hammer on the grounds of St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD on October 25, 2023 in a crime that shocked the country.
She was killed by her former boyfriend and fellow teacher at the school, Paul Thijssen, 24, who killed himself by jumping from a cliff at Diamond Bay Reserve in Vaucluse in the hours afterwards.
Details of how Thijssen, a Dutch national, had stalked Ms James in the days leading up to her death inside a school bathroom and had practised dry runs of her murder have been revealed during a coronial inquest into their deaths.
The court has heard that Ms James had broken off their brief casual relationship in the days leading up to her being murdered.
‘PRACTISE’
The court was also told that Thijssen had stalked a previous girlfriend after he was found in the early morning outside the home.
He had also forged documents which were provided to the Department of Home Affairs when applying to extend his working holiday visa.
Footage played to the court on Tuesday showed Thijssen – on the day of the murder – on three occasions practising quickly opening the door to the bathroom where he ultimately cornered and killed Ms James.
Counsel assisting Jennifer Single SC told the inquest the vision showed Thijssen “practising how he is going to enter the bathroom” during the attack.
The vision tracked Thijssen and his movements around the school on the afternoon of October 25 including placing a “cleaning in progress sign” outside one bathroom.
Ms Single told the court that Thijssen did this to coral her into the bathroom he had selected to murder her
“Your Honor, it is submitted that after practising entering both bathrooms, Paul had by this stage decided to attack Lilie in bathroom one,” Ms Single told the court.
“We submit that Paul placed the cleaning in progress sign outside of bathroom three, to ensure Lillie did not use that bathroom, and to force her into the larger disabled bathroom where the attack in fact occurred.”
STALKING
The court was told on Tuesday that in the six days leading up to the other murder, Thijssen stalked Ms James on seven occasions – driving to her house in Sydney’s south in a hired car before returning home to Kensington.
On several occasions, he took photographs of cars which were parked outside her family home.
Photos shown to the court revealed that Thijssen captioned the photos with descriptions of the car.
On another occasion, CCTV captured him driving to Allawah train station, where he stayed for an hour, with further vision showing Ms James getting off at the same station.
Further vision also showed Thijssen buying a hammer and duct tape at a York St hardware store on Monday October 10, 2023.
The hammer was not used by him during the attack and was later found in a school store room.
The inquest before coroner Teresa O’Sullivan continues.