Horrific evidence of the extent and brutality of Lilie James’ fatal bludgeoning has been given to a shocked court after chilling CCTV showed the moment her killer waited outside a bathroom door to launch his meticulous attack.
The court heard Ms James was bludgeoned by her killer Paul Thijssen, 24, with a hammer more than 25 times to the head and neck and her injuries were so extensive she was not immediately identifiable.
The 21-year-old had so much blood in her hair it appeared ‘black’ and she looked ‘of Asian appearance’ when emergency services first arrived at St Andrews Cathedral school on the evening of October 25, 2023.
Her father, Jamie James, was waiting outside the school when police arrived following a chilling triple-zero call from Thijssen. Officers, assisted by a security guard, found Ms James’ body inside a bathroom at 11.59pm.
Warning the court that the evidence would be distressing, counsel assisting the New South Wales coroner, Jennifer Single SC, said Lilie’s body wasn’t initially identified as her due to the ‘extensive injuries to face, fake tan and blood in her hair, dark almost black hair and Asian appearance’.
Told that Ms James was a blonde, Caucasian female, police believed she wasn’t the dead female and could still be in Thijssen’s company, given he had her iPhone.
Ms James sustained 25 blunt force injuries to her head and neck which were circular, semi-circular or v-shaped, consistent with the shape of a hammer.
Ms Single said they were caused ‘by multiple blows’, but the number of blows was likely higher than 25. She also had defensive injuries on her arms and hands, showing she fought back.
An inquest into the deaths of murdered water polo coach Lilie James (pictured) and her ex-boyfriend has commenced 18 months after their deaths
Ms Single said ‘drip stain analysis’ showed Ms James was initially in a upright or semi-upright position moving towards the bathroom shower and a basin.
The blood stain cast-off pattern showed the assault continued as she lay on her back, and although the attack was short it was ‘overkill and went far beyond what was necessary to cause death’.
As Ms James’ body was being discovered, at Diamond Bay reserve in Vaucluse, police arrived just three minutes after Thijssen ended his triple-zero call.
Speaking quietly during the three-minute call, a ‘calm’ and ‘almost emotionless’ Thijssen told the emergency operator, ‘I’d like to report a body at St Andrews Cathedral school’ before giving details on how to find it.
‘If you go into the school, there is an entrance on the left. There is a bathroom on the right hand side where there is a body… where you go into the sports area, the bathroom is there on the right. It’s the first door on the right,’ he said.
Thijssen was asked if the body was male or female, and he answered ‘female’.
The operator then asked him ‘Do you know who it is’ and he replied ‘No’. Asked what his name was, he said ‘I’d rather not say’. Thijssen then added: ‘I think someone should just go in there before people arrive in the morning’.
But he had already jumped or fallen off the cliff edge.
Two days after Ms James was murdered the body of 24-year-old hockey coach Paul Thijssen, with whom she had had been in a brief relationship, was found at Vaucluse
His body was found floating in the ocean below cliffs in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The revelations come after CCTV showed the moment a smiling Ms James walked into a school bathroom followed by Thijssen, who waited for two minutes holding a hammer and listening before he attacked.
Ms James’ parents were given the opportunity to leave the courtroom while the footage was played, and were seen weeping outside. State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan immediately called for a 30minute break after the footage was played.
The video, taken inside St Andrew’s Cathedral School, shows Ms James entering the bathroom at 7.12pm on October 25, 2023.
Thijssen was then seen approaching the bathroom door wearing his backpack and holding a hammer in his right hand. At 7.14pm, Thijssen pushed the door open with his left hand and entered the bathroom.
Immediately after playing the CCTV, Ms Single became tearful saying, ‘Lilie was smiling and interacting with Paul, there was no indication what he was going to do’.
Her voice breaking, Ms Single added: ‘No matter how many times you view that footage, it is not easy to watch.’
The video of Ms James’ final moments was played in court after other footage showed an agitated Thijssen making his preparations to kill her in the 30 minutes before her murder.
Thijssen walked purposefully towards the bathroom and could also be seen running as he worked to cut off all access to the eventual murder site.
He spoke with a night cleaner and waved to a security guard as he walked ‘with pace’ and then ran, using a master key to lock access doors to the school’s disabled bathroom where he planned to carry out the murder.
Ms James’ parents, Peta and Jamie, are pictured arriving at the NSW inquest on Tuesday
The court heard that as Thijssen put the finishing touches on his sinister plan, Ms James was returning from water polo practice on a school bus with students.
The pupils would later recall that they had been talking about their favourite music with Ms James, who then told them, ‘I’ve got to go, I have to get to a game.’
At 7.11pm, Ms James made a two second call to Thijssen’s mobile and he walked down to the school’s main foyer and let Ms James into the building. They then walked to the gym area near the bathroom.
Seventeen seconds later Ms James was seen exiting the school staffroom wearing school shorts, a jacket and white runners, and carrying a green swimsuit.
Thijssen then exited the staffroom with his backpack over his right arm.
After a half hour break during court proceedings, Ms James’ parents returned to the court room and were told by the Coroner: ‘I just want to acknowledge how difficult this is and my heart goes out to you.’
Ms Single said it’s believed Thijssen told Ms James which bathroom to use.
Before she entered, Ms James could be seen glancing at the ‘cleaning in progress’ sign Thijssen had purposely placed outside the other bathroom.
Ms Single said the bathroom door opened slightly from the inside before he entered.
Ms James was found dead inside a gymnasium bathroom at St Andrew’s Cathedral School in the Sydney CBD on October 25, 2023. Students are pictured outside the school
Dutch national Paul Thijssen is pictured
‘It was at that point Lilie was attacked and killed. After entering the bathroom he attacked and killed Lilie with the hammer in the bathroom,’ Ms Single said.
‘It would have resulted in Lilie becoming incapacitated quickly and it was not protracted.’
Ms Single said at least twelve people were inside the school at the time.
Thijssen, who had taken Ms James’s bag and removed her phone from it, stayed in bathroom for one hour and 12 minutes following the murder.
At 8.23pm, a message was sent via her phone to her father, Jamie James, saying ‘don’t ask why or call, please come to the school now and pick me up.’
Mr James replied: ‘Are you okay.’
Thijssen then left the murder scene and picked up the cleaning sign he had placed outside Bathroom Three and put it outside the bathroom where Lilie’s body lay inside.
He then appeared to place a small knife in his backpack.
Mr James again tried calling Lilie and then received another message, sent to by Thijssen saying ‘All Good just came trouble’.
Up to 12 people were inside St Andrew’s Cathedral School when Ms James was killed
Mr James frantically texted, ‘can you call please.’ (The inference was that the message was saying ‘just come’ and ‘came’ was a typo.)
At 8.22pm, Thijssen walked calmly through the school foyer, and exited the school. He then walked to the car park and drove off at 8.33pm.
Thijssen drove from St Andrews School to Diamond Bay Reserve at Vaucluse without stopping.
At 9.49pm he drove further along the road in Vaucluse, and closer to the cliff edge.
At 9.52 and 9.53pm he made an electronic $9,100 transfer to each of his flatmates with the message ‘six months rent’.
At 11.15pm, he exited the car and walked into Diamond Bay Reserve.
His body was found two days later.
