Who are the victims of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack?

by Admin
April 14, 2024

A “beautiful”, “all round outstanding human”, the 25-year-old daughter of a prominent businessman and a Pakistani national who sought refuge in Australia are among the victims of a stabbing attack inside a busy Sydney shopping centre.

Five of the six people confirmed killed by Queensland man Joel Cauchi inside Westfield Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon were women.

All six victims have now been identified — here’s what we know about them.

Pikria Darchia, Faraz Tahir, Ashlee Good and Jade Young were killed in the stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction.(AAP: Supplied)

Ashlee Good

The first victim to be publicly named was 38-year-old mother Ashlee Good, who was attacked alongside her nine-month-old baby and died later in hospital on Saturday evening.

Her family says the baby is now “doing well” after undergoing hours of emergency surgery.

“Today we are reeling from the terrible loss of Ashlee, a beautiful mother, daughter, sister, partner, friend, all round outstanding human and so much more,” Ms Good’s family said in a statement on Sunday.

“We appreciate the well-wishes and thoughts of members of the Australian public who have expressed an outpouring of love for Ashlee and our baby girl.”

Bondi attacker ‘focused on women and avoided the men’, police commissioner says

The family paid tribute to NSW Police, Sydney Children’s Hospital staff and two men who “held and cared for our baby when Ashlee could not”.

Ashlee’s father was Kerry Good, a player and former board member for AFL club North Melbourne. The club wore black armbands in honour of Ashlee in its match against Geelong on Sunday.

Floral tributes have been laid outside Westfield Bondi Junction.(ABC News: Brendan Esposito)

Dawn Singleton

Dawn Singleton has also been confirmed to have died in the attack.

She is the 25-year-old daughter of businessman John “Singo” Singleton.

Ms Singleton’s employer, White Fox Boutique, described her “as someone special to us who felt like a family member”.

“We are all truly devastated by this loss. Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her. She was really amazing,” the business wrote on social media.

Killcare Surf Lifesaving Club on the NSW Central Coast, which said four generations of the Singletons had been involved with it, also posted a message of support to social media late on Sunday morning.

Dawn Singleton has been confirmed to have died in the attack. She is the 25-year-old daughter of businessman John “Singo” Singleton. (Supplied)

Faraz Tahir

Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old Pakistani national who was working as a security guard, has also been identified as a victim.

The Australian Pakistani National Association (APNA) named Mr Tahir as the sole male killed in a post on Facebook on Sunday afternoon.

The APNA said Mr Tahir had moved from Brisbane for work.

“Let us stand together in solidarity, offering support and prayers to those grieving and affected by this heartbreaking loss,” the group said in a post on social media.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Australia said Mr Tahir sought refuge in Australia after fleeing persecution in Pakistan a year ago.

Elliott Rusanow Chief Executive Officer of Scentre Group, which owns the Westfield chain of shopping centres, said the company was helping with the travel arrangements for Mr Tahir’s family.

“That is going to take a couple of days, but we are facilitating his family to come and pay their respects as they choose to do,” he said.

Ejaz Khan, a solicitor and the president of the Pakistan Australia Association, said the news had rocked the local Pakistani community.

“The community is mourning and … very distressed,” he said.

He said another Pakistani man was in hospital in relation to the attack.

While Mr Khan did not know Mr Tahir personally, he said he had been speaking with people who did.

“Faraz was a young man that had a bright future in front of him,” he said.

“He was a lovely guy, he was very helpful all the time, he was working very hard and studying very hard in order to have a better future in Australia.”

Jade Young

Jade Young, 47, was identified as another victim by NSW Police on Sunday afternoon.

The Bronte Surf Lifesaving Club in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where Ms Young was a member, cancelled an event scheduled for Sunday evening.

Members were notified of her death earlier in the day.

“This is and will be a difficult time for the community, and we encourage you to seek support from family, friends, fellow Club members or to speak to your GP to assist you in processing this tragedy,” the club wrote on Facebook.

“We are here to support the community, and our heartfelt condolences go out to everyone affected.”

Pikria Darchia

NSW Police identified 55-year-old Pikri Darchia on Sunday evening as another one of the five female victims.

According to Ms Darchia’s LinkedIn profile, she was an artist/designer who studied business administration at Sydney TAFE and could speak three languages: English, Russian and Georgian.

She also finished a degree in performance art at the Tbilisi State Academy of Art in Georgia.

Yixuan Cheng

The final victim was identified on Monday morning as Yixuan Cheng, a 27-year-old Chinese national.

NSW Police told the ABC that Ms Cheng’s family have arrived in Australia and have been briefed on the incident and ongoing investigation.

They have requested privacy and do not want any details or official images of their daughter released to the media.

The Chinese Embassy released a statement following the news of Ms Cheng’s death and said they were following the situation closely.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the unfortunate death of one Chinese student and the serious injury of another,” the statement said.

“We will continue to maintain close communication with the Australian side and do our utmost to provide necessary assistance to the families of the Chinese victims.”

Twelve people were also hospitalised for injuries sustained in the attack, with four subsequently discharged.