In emotional testimony at the New South Wales coroner’s court, Elizabeth Young said that her daughter’s death was the “stuff of nightmares” and a tragic consequence of years of neglect.
“My daughter, Jade, was loving, clever, compassionate, and ‘slightly goofy.’ It hurts terribly that she no longer has the chance to exist in the future,” Young told the court on Thursday. “At 74, I have lost my way in life. The moment that knife was plunged into Jade, our ordinary lives were shattered.”
Jade, 47, was one of six people killed by Joel Cauchi, a 40-year-old schizophrenic man, during a violent rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction on April 13, 2024. In addition to Jade, Cauchi killed Ashlee Good (38), Yixuan Cheng (27), Pikria Darchia (55), Dawn Singleton (25), and Faraz Tahir (30), injuring ten others. Cauchi was fatally shot by police officer Amy Scott during the incident.
Young, accompanied by her husband Ivan, son Peter, and Jade’s husband Noel, shared personal memories of her daughter, including a final message from Jade just days before the attack. She recalled sending Jade a photo of a fairy ring of mushrooms and laughing together about washing a blanket. “Pause and think on that,” she urged the court.
Elizabeth also described the pain of learning that her granddaughter had drawn a picture of where her mother fell during the attack, highlighting the profound impact on her family.
Young expressed her frustration with the inquest, stating that the focus on the system’s flaws often overshadowed the tragic fact that six people lost their lives. “Australia doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge what happened. My daughter was murdered by an unmedicated chronic schizophrenic,” she said.
She criticized the system for its repeated failures, noting, “Dr. Dwyer referred to individuals doing their best in fallible systems, but it seems to me my daughter and five others were killed by the cumulative failures of many people in those systems.”
While Young acknowledged that improved funding for mental health services and better security measures could prevent future tragedies, she emphasized that these efforts would not bring her daughter back. “For me, no good will come from this inquest. There is no comforting closure, no way to make amends for what he took from me.”
The inquest also heard that Elizabeth Young struggles with anxiety, insomnia, and the emotional toll of her daughter’s death. She expressed anger at how some media outlets covered the attack, particularly the graphic images of her daughter’s body shared after the event. “I learned a new phrase in the days after April 13 – trauma porn,” she said.
Family members of the other victims also gave moving statements. Peter Young, Jade’s brother, condemned the attacker as a “coward” motivated by frustration over his personal life. “He was fuelled by his frustration at not finding a nice girl to marry.”
The parents of Yixuan Cheng, the youngest victim, shared their sorrow, describing their daughter as their “treasure.” They spoke about the last conversation they had with her, expressing the pain of never being able to tell her that being her parents was their greatest joy.
Muzafar Ahmad Tahir, brother of Faraz Tahir, a security guard who was on duty during the attack, spoke of his pride in his brother’s bravery. “He will always be remembered as a symbol of bravery,” he said.
The inquest, which began more than a year after the attack, is examining a variety of factors, including the adequacy of Cauchi’s mental health care, the preparedness of the shopping center for an armed attack, and the response of police, ambulance services, and the media.
The inquest was adjourned on Thursday after hearing moving statements from the victims’ families.
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