Shock as cops dismiss major theory on why Westfield Bondi attacker Joel Cauchi stabbed to death five women and a security guard

The mentation that Westfield Bondi Junction knifeman Joel Cauchi was specifically targeting women successful his stabbing spree astatine the buying centre has been dismissed by police.

Six radical - 5 women and 1 antheral information defender - were killed erstwhile 40-year-old Cauchi attacked radical with a 30cm weapon connected April 13. 

A nine-month-old babe miss was 1 of 12 others that were stabbed earlier the knifeman was changeable dormant by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott.

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said aft the gender signifier of the onslaught was clear.

'It's evident to me... The offender focused connected women and avoided the men,' Commissioner Webb told the ABC connected April 15. 

However, a period connected from the attack, determination is simply a statement wrong NSW Police astir that theory.

One elder constabulary root was skeptical, pointing retired that Cauchi besides stabbed men but not fatally. 

'Do I deliberation helium was targeting women? No, I don't. He stabbed 3 men and a baby, helium was conscionable moving astir stabbing people,' the root told the Daily Telegraph. 

Those killed successful the onslaught were caller parent Ashlee Good, 38, bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25, information defender Faraz Ahmed Tahir, 30, designer Jade Young, 47, creator Pikria Darchia, 55, and economics pupil Yixuan Cheng, 27. 

However different constabulary root antecedently told the Daily Telegraph that investigators judge Cauchi was 'definitely targeting women'.

The root said constabulary had viewed extended footage of Cauchi's movements passim the buying centre and observed him selecting his victims.

'I don't deliberation there's immoderate different mode to look astatine it,' the root said. 

'You tin spot connected the footage helium walks past different people. He conscionable keeps moving past them and past attacks a woman.'

Cauchi, a schizophrenic from Queensland, had moved to Sydney conscionable weeks earlier the onslaught and had had nary fixed code astatine the time. 

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia arsenic a teen and his parents said helium had stopped taking his medicine which had triggered his psychosis.

Cauchi's begetter Andrew had suggested his lad had targeted women astatine the buying centre due to the fact that helium had wanted a girlfriend.  

'He wanted a woman and he's got nary societal skills and helium was frustrated retired of his brain,' Anthony told A Current Affair. 

Cauchi had lived astatine location with his parents successful Toowoomba until helium was 35. 

His begetter recalled discovering 5 ample US Army combat knives successful his container erstwhile helium visited the location successful 2023, which helium rapidly confiscated. 

'I said, "Look, Joel, you're invited to enactment astatine my spot but you're not going to person these knives here",' Andrew said. 

'I took them disconnected him and it was hell, you know, truly hellhole ... helium went mental.'    

Podcaster Abbie Chatfield said she believed the objectification of women and Australia's dire intelligence wellness strategy were some causes of the attack. 

'This unit doesn't commencement from nowhere. This starts from radical speaking astir women arsenic though they're objects, continuously,' she said. 

'That objectification of women allows the dehumanisation of women, and that allows men to easy spell down a slippery slope towards violence.

'Whether that's unit successful the home, home violence, verbal abuse, catcalling, intersexual harassments, intersexual assault, rape, murder, wide murder.'