According to a report, Lilie James’ suspected killer texted her father from her phone the night she was murdered.
Dutch-born Paul Thijssen, 24, allegedly beat Ms James, 21, to death in the gym bathroom of St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD on Wednesday.
Thijssen then used Ms James’ phone to send her father Jamie a text message telling him to come pick her up from school. 7News reported.
Hours later, Thijssen called police to confess before plunging to his death from the cliffs above Diamond Bay in Vaucluse, Sydney’s east.
Police divers managed to extract his bloated and battered body from the rocks below after it was spotted by tradies working nearby on Friday morning.
His high-profile parents, Esther and Stef Thijssen, now face an agonizing decision about what to do with their only child’s funeral arrangements.
It is not yet clear whether they will fly to Australia to hold a service in Sydney or arrange for their son’s body to be airlifted back to his native Netherlands.
Dutch-born Paul Thijssen, 24, allegedly beat Lilie James, 21, (pictured) to death in the gym bathroom at St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney’s CBD on Wednesday.
The parents of Paul Thijssen, pictured with his father Stef, face a grim decision about what to do with their son’s body
Thijssen (in the photo with his mother Esther) is said to have used Mrs James’ phone after her death
The family first arrived in Australia in 2015 when his father moved to Sydney for work. Thijssen attended St Andrew’s for two years before graduating in 2017.
He reportedly continued in a paid role in ‘Year 13’ at the school, helping out in the school’s sports department, before returning to the Netherlands with his parents.
However, he later returned to Australia to rejoin St Andrew’s sporting department and moved in with a friend in a house in Kensington, in Sydney’s east.
He also joined the UNSW SL3 ‘Whalies’ men’s hockey team in 2020, where he was a regular first-team player and featured in promotions for the team’s matches.
The whirlwind romance with Ms James is said to have started five weeks ago, around the same time his side lost the Sydney League grand final on September 9.
But the relationship was short-lived and he allegedly confronted her on Wednesday night as she was returning sports equipment to the school gym after calling things off.
Police believe Thijssen then beat her to death and fled to Vaucluse, where he sat in his 20-year-old silver Lexus for hours before alerting police via a phone call to Triple-0.
When police made the grim discovery at the school, it is believed Thijssen jumped from the clifftop reserve to the rocks below to his death.
The police have now confirmed that the remains are Thijssen’s, after comparing fingerprints with prints from the Dutch embassy.
In the days following Ms James’ tragic death, friends and colleagues flooded social media with tributes to the beloved coach.
One woman said Lilie was her daughter’s netball coach and took the time to write cards for each student, ‘focusing on their individual personality, beauty and talents’.
The family first arrived in Australia in 2015 when his father moved to Sydney for work. Paul Thijssen (pictured) attended St Andrew’s for two years before graduating in 2017.
Lilie James’ body was found by police in the gymnasium bathrooms of St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney CBD
Lilie James is depicted as a high school water polo coach. She was also a korfball coach
One woman said Lilie was her daughter’s netball coach and took the time to write cards for each student (tribute in photo)
“She was a light who cared about all her students,” the woman wrote on Facebook.
‘She was my daughter’s netball coach and took the time to write a card for everyone on the team, specifically focusing on their individual personality, beauty and talents.’
“(Like) a light that is bright like the sun early in the morning or a full moon that glows in the night sky, she will never be forgotten and will always shine in our hearts and souls.”
She added, “I’m so grateful I knew her.”
The school was closed for the rest of the week due to the police investigation, but students were able to return on Monday.
Many left flowers at the entrance and comforted each other as they entered the grounds.
Earlier on Monday, Lilie’s grandmother broke her silence to thank the community following the outpouring of grief.
“Some people come into this world, I think they’re so special and they don’t stay long,” she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham. “Now I think it was my granddaughter.”
Pictured: Lilie James, 21, coaches water polo. Her body was found around midnight on Wednesday
Just hours after the attack, Thijssen (pictured) called Triple Zero, who was tracked to The Gap in Sydney’s east, to tell them where they would find Ms James’ body.
‘I remember the day she was born, clear as a button and never stopped since. I just kept learning and having fun. She really had a lot of fun.
“And she was so nice to everyone.”
Ms Adelt revealed how Lilie had befriended a new, recently arrived immigrant classmate – despite pressure from others.
“Some of the other girls weren’t nice to Lilie because of it,” she continued. ‘They might want to think about that.
“She was the most loyal person. Very loyal. Just a beautiful person. A beautiful, beautiful young woman and so full of life, she never stopped.”
Ms Adelt said her family was still searching for answers behind the murder.
“We just can’t understand why,” she said. “Why did this happen to her?”
Ms James, who studied sports business at the University of Technology, is described as ‘lively, outgoing and much loved by her friends and family’
On Monday morning, students at St Andrew’s Cathedral School could see flowers lying at the entrance
Police faced harsh weather conditions on Friday after a body was found near Diamond Bay, near where Thijssen reportedly plunged to his death.
Ms James studied sports business at the University of Technology and graduated from Danebank Anglican School in 2020, while coaching part-time at St Andrew’s.
Supt Fileman said the circumstances of the death would also be confronting for the students because school staff were involved.
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