Sydney stabbing live: Bondi Junction attacker Joel Cauchi tried to join gun groups as victims identified

 

Five victims have now been identified as among those killed in a stabbing spree at a Sydney shopping centre, which left six dead and a number of others in hospital.

Among those killed was first-time mother Ashlee Good, 38, who has been described as an “all-round outstanding human” who died while protecting her nine-month-old baby, who was also injured in the horror attack.

Others include security guard Faraz Tahir, who has been praised for his “bravery” in protecting others at Westfield Bondi Junction and 25-year-old Dawn Singleton, who worked at a clothing boutique.

Jade Young, 47, who worked as an architect and 55-year-old artist Pikria Darchia were also killed, while the identity of the sixth victim remains unconfirmed.

New South Wales Police said they had identified the attacker as Joel Cauchi, of Queensland, with his family describing his actions as “truly horrific”. It has since emerged that he had attempted to join gun groups and had made a “weird” request to have his knives sharpened, while advertising himself online as a male escort.

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style="background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #222222; font-family: "Indy Serif", "Indy Serif Fallback", serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.44em; margin: 16px 0px;">Shoppers were left terrified after Cauchi began attacking random members of the public on Saturday afternoon, before he was shot dead by a “hero” lone police officer.