A coronial inquest into the murder of 21-year-old Lilie James has finished in Sydney.
In October 2023, James’ body was found in the bathroom of the Sydney school where she worked.
Shortly after Lilie’s body was found, police ruled her death a homicide, and named a prime suspect, Paul Thijssen.
Thijssen was found dead days later in Sydney’s east.
Last week, a coronial inquest heard three days of evidence in the case.
What happened?
On 25 October 2023, the body of 21-year-old Lilie James was discovered by police in a bathroom at St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD.
According to police, James had serious head injuries.
After a wide-scale police investigation, Thijssen’s body was found in the water in Diamond Bay, Vaucluse a few days later.
The two were known to each other, and were both teaching at the school at the time of the attack.
Inquest
Last week, a coronial inquest heard evidence about James’ murder.
A coronial inquest is held when a person dies in “sudden or unexplained” circumstances, and when there are “unresolved issues” left from an initial investigation.
The Coroners’ task is to “determine the identity of the deceased and the date, place, manner and cause of death”.
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A coronial finding is not the same as a trial judgment. A trial cannot be held in this case because the prime suspect is dead.
Evidence
The inquest heard from a range of different experts and the counsel assisting the Coroner over three days.
The court was shown CCTV footage of Thijssen in the days and hours leading up to the attack.
In one clip, Thijssen stands in a Mitre 10 store looking at different types of hammers and assessing their weight.
In other vision, he appears to practise the attack by bursting into an empty bathroom several times, and putting a cleaning sign in front of a door so James would enter a different bathroom.
During the inquest, the court heard evidence from experts who argued that prior to the attack, Thijssen exercised coercive control over James.
Coercive control is a form of domestic violence where a person denies a person autonomy and independence over time.
Thijssen reportedly tracked James’ location on Snapchat, as well as physically stalking her.
Response
James’ parents were in court throughout the inquest. After its conclusion, they said: “We will forever love you and never forget you.”
They added: “If we are not teaching boys how to accept and value a woman’s opinions and choices and accept rejection, we may be setting them up for failure. Or, in our case, a moment of time we will never recover from.”
The Coroner will now prepare findings and recommendations.
If you or anyone you know needs help, you can reach out to 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
