A chilling incident has shaken the Sydney community. Lilie James, a 21-year-old water polo coach, was brutally beaten to death with a hammer on the premises of the prestigious St Andrew's Cathedral private school. The tragic event took place in the early hours of last Thursday, and police continue to search for the alleged murderer, her former co-worker, Paul Thijssen, 24.
Lilie James, who also taught at a dance school and graduated from Danebank Anglican School in 2020, had high aspirations as a sports scientist and dreamed of starting her own business. However, her life has been brutally cut short.
The macabre discovery occurred when Lilie's father alerted the authorities when he did not return home. The police arrived at the school and found the young woman's body with terrible head injuries in the gym bathrooms.
Paul Thijssen, who was Lilie's classmate and former sports coach at the elite private school, became the main suspect after security cameras captured him following the victim to the bathroom the afternoon before the crime. Hours later, footage shows him leaving the facility, but Lilie James never left the bathroom.
Thijssen contacted police four hours after the alleged murder, reporting the location of the body. Authorities traced the call to a cliff known as 'The Gap' in Vaucluse, where they found some of his belongings, but the suspect was missing.
The relationship between Lilie James and Paul Thijssen has been the subject of speculation, since local media suggest that they had a secret relationship that ended just days before the crime. On Wednesday night, the two met in the school building, and a fight apparently preceded the tragic outcome.
While the investigation is ongoing, the school community and students are in a state of shock and have received psychological support. Lilie James, a young woman with a promising future in the world of sport, has left an irreplaceable void in her loved ones and in Australian society.
Authorities continue to seek answers and justice in this horrific crime that has shocked the entire nation.
