Cousin of Bondi Junction attack victim calls out stabber's misogyny

Cousin of Westfield Bondi Junction attack victim feels many questions were left unanswered at inquestIBy Isabella RossTopic:Law, Crime and Justice9m ago9 minutes agoSun 15 Feb 2026 at 7:26pmToby Halligan wants answers following the murder of his cousin Jade Young. (ABC: Adam Kennedy)abc.net.au/news/cousin-of-bondi-junction-victim-jade-young-speaks-out-on-inquest/106329706Link copiedShareShare articleFor almost two years, Toby Halligan has struggled to put into words what his family has endured while mourning the murder of their loved one in the Westfield Bondi Junction attack.His cousin Jade Young was among six people killed in the stabbing rampage on April 13, 2024, with multiple families' lives irreparably damaged."It's a relief to be over, but I'm still pretty miserable and angry," he told the ABC following the coronial inquest's conclusion last week.While thankful for the coroner's time and findings, Mr Halligan feels some of his key questions surrounding the attack and its aftermath have been left unanswered.Jade Young, 47, was much loved by her friends and family. (Supplied: NSW Police)'The misogyny makes me sick'Although the coroner's findings noted Joel Cauchi "had demonstrated some disturbing attitudes towards women", a motive for his attack could not be determined due to his psychotic state at the time.For Mr Halligan, he said of Cauchi: "The misogyny makes me sick.""It does stand out to me when you see the majority of people injured or killed were women, though he was floridly psychotic at the time," he said."People should have been safe in the context in which they were at the centre. Jade was just shopping for a birthday present with her youngest daughter."The victims of the attack clockwise from top left: Yixuan Cheng, Faraz Tahir, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia, Dawn Singleton and Ashlee Good were killed. (Supplied)The coroner's findings noted: "Professor [Merete] Nordentoft opined that it is likely Mr Cauchi targeted young girls and women on 13 April 2024, although there can only be speculation about the content of his delusion."Professor Nordentoft was the only expert psychiatrist on the panel that specifically gave that viewpoint of Cauchi, who had chronic schizophrenia.The coronial inquest heard Cauchi had made repeated attempts to attend sporting events at an all-girls' boarding school in Queensland in 2022."[A school] staff member had become concerned due to the persistent behaviour of Joel," Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peggy Dwyer SC recounted.Cauchi had multiple interactions with Queensland Police in the years leading up to his move to NSW. (Supplied: Coroners Court of New South Wales)A mental health intervention coordinator with Queensland Police was asked at the inquest if the staff member was right to be concerned with the "obsessed behaviour" exhibited by Cauchi considering he "did not have a child at that school".She was also asked by Dr Dwyer if it was concerning for Cauchi to be exhibiting "some level of obsession with seeing the girls".The sergeant agreed on both occasions.A sea of flowers were laid at Bondi Junction in the wake of the attack. (ABC News: Greg Bigelow)The coroner's findings also detailed the contents of Cauchi's phone.On January 25, 2024, Cauchi recorded jumbled notes titled "To do", including "Make sure I do schoolgirls first in strike, see how get lots of. 14year olds together in 1st attack".The Counsel Assisting determined there was "no logical motivation" for the attack, and while the majority of the victims killed or injured were women, three men were stabbed in the attacks as well, one of whom died.Missed opportunities of security staff"I really feel like the security companies have gotten off very lightly in all this," Mr Halligan said of Scentre Group, which owns Westfield shopping centres."It is hard to overstate how basic the failures of their staff were on the day." Mr Halligan felt frustrated by the actions of Westfield on the day of the attack. (ABC: Adam Kennedy)NSW State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan found one of the control room operators present on the day of the attack was incompetent to be in the CCTV room unsupervised.She also determined the content of one of the security guard's initial radio broadcasts to colleagues was insufficient in terms of conveying the necessary information to other security personnel that an active armed offender event was taking place.The coroner acknowledged members of the security team had "responded to an unprecedented, violent and rapid" incident within approximately 40 seconds of the attack commencing.She also commended their emergency response procedures document, otherwise known as the red book.After the Westfield stabbing, Scentre said security guards were now required to wear body-worn cameras. (Supplied: Scentre Group)A series of security initiatives have since been introduced at Westfield destinations, such as body-worn cameras fo