Ex-Boyfriend Rehearsed Murder Before Killing Coach in School Bathroom
In October 2023, 21-year-old water polo coach Lilie James was brutally murdered at St. Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney. New details from a coroner's inquest reveal that her ex-boyfriend, 23-year-old Paul Thijssen, who was also a coach at St. Andrew's, not only planned the attack but rehearsed it earlier that day — his actions all caught on CCTV.
From Casual Colleague to Cold-Blooded Stalker
Just hours before the deadly attack on Oct. 25, 2023, James and Thijssen were seen shopping for Halloween costumes with a colleague. Footage showed them laughing and joking as James held a red devil's pitchfork. According to counsel assisting the coroner Jennifer Single SC, the colleague who accompanied them indicated "Lilie and Paul were communicating normally" that day, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
But behind that calm appearance, Thijssen was unraveling. In the days after James had ended their casual relationship just one week earlier, he had driven to her home and sat outside it seven separate times, often late at night. He had also taken photos of nearby vehicles and noted to whom they belonged. At one point, he spied on James as she left a train station.
After learning James had seen her ex-boyfriend at a party the weekend before her murder, Thijssen became paranoid and "sour," Single told the inquest, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. "Following the argument, and then Paul finding out that Lilie had spent time with her ex at the party on Friday night, the evidence indicates that Paul started exhibiting extremely concerning behaviour," Single continued.
Witness Saw Lilie Crying Just Hours Before Her Death
On the day of the murder, a mutual friend noticed something was off. She saw Thijssen and James talking at a table outside St. Andrews, where they both worked. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the friend told the inquest that Thijssen was staring "very intently at her, with one hand on her knee. I saw Lilie had her face down on the ground and was crying, and not looking at Paul. I remember feeling scared at the time, I remember thinking his demeanor was unusual ... I still regret not persisting with it to this day."
Rehearsing the Murder
That same afternoon, Thijssen was seen on CCTV visiting the school bathrooms near the gym multiple times. There, he practiced lunging at the doors of both the disabled and adult toilets, using different hand positions and angles. He even placed a cleaning sign in front of one bathroom to influence which one James would use to get changed after coaching.
According to Single, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, "Paul had at this stage decided to attack Lilie in bathroom one."
"This shows the brazen nature of Paul’s preparations that day," Single continued, per the same outlet. "Paul has taken no steps at any time to conceal himself. He must have been aware of the CCTV cameras. At times, Paul appears to look up and directly at the cameras."
Later that day, Thijssen left work and went home, where police believe he retrieved a hammer from his flatmate’s toolkit. Earlier that week, he had purchased a hammer and duct tape, but for some reason, he chose to use his flatmate's hammer to murder James instead.
That night, James was found dead in the school bathroom.
He Beat Her to Death, Then Texted Her Father
After rehearsing the ambush and placing a cleaning sign to corner James in the disabled bathroom, Thijssen entered and beat her to death with a hammer. According to the inquest, he struck her more than 25 times — an act counsel assisting the coroner Jennifer Single SC described as "overkill," as reported by ABC News. The violence was so extreme that James' injuries rendered her unrecognizable.
Thijssen then remained in the bathroom with her body for more than an hour. During that time, he used James' phone to text her father, pretending to be her. According to Single, this caused the family to "suffer as they desperately tried to get in touch with her," ABC News reported.
Roughly three hours after the murder, at 11:45 p.m., Thijssen called triple-0 to report a body at the school. He can barely be heard on the call and avoided giving details. "I think someone should just go in there before people arrive in the morning. Thank you," he told the operator, according to ABC News.
Aftermath
After the murder, Thijssen fled the scene and drove to Diamond Bay Reserve, a place they had visited together during happier times. There, police believe he either fell or jumped off the cliffs. His body was recovered two days later.
The murder weapon was never recovered.
A History of Obsession, Control, and Deceit
The inquest also revealed disturbing patterns from Thijssen's past. One former girlfriend described him as "suffocating" and said he demanded access to her phone location early in their relationship, as reported by PEOPLE. She said he also forged visa documents, lied about his education, and created a fake Snapchat® profile to convince colleagues another woman was stalking him.
Coroner's Inquest Reveals Disturbing New Details
The inquest into Lilie James' death is ongoing and will include testimony from forensic experts. Her parents were present in court. Thijssen's parents were not, but provided statements to the Crown Solicitor.
As Single noted, "We will never know when Paul decided he was going to kill Lilie, or himself, however his behaviour ... forms a course of conduct that culminated in the homicide," as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
If you or someone you know is in need of support from domestic abuse, go to The Hotline or call 1-800-799-7233.
References: Killer filmed rehearsing school attack day Lilie James was murdered | Ex Who Killed Water Polo Coach Was Caught on Camera 'Rehearsing' the Brutal Hammer Attack | Lilie James's killer was calm and calculated, inquest into murder told
