Lilie James inquest: CCTV reveals sport’s coach’s last moments before murder

Thijssen then walks purposefully towards the bathroom, a pack on his back. He stands less than a metre away from the bathroom door, holding the hammer in his right hand. The camera captures in him in profile; his back is straight, and at one point his chest rises as he takes a deep breath.

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Abruptly, at 7.14, he lunges towards the bathroom and opens the door. “No matter how many times you view that footage, it’s not easy to watch,” said Single, her voice wavering.

“Your honour may have noticed how Lilie was smiling and interacting with Paul. There was little or no indication as to what he was going to do.” The inquest was told the attack “would have resulted in Lilie’s becoming incapacitated quickly, and was not protracted,” Single said.

James’ parents remained in the court as the footage of her final moments was played, and while the details of her cause of death were described to the inquest.

Thjissen lingered in the bathroom for one hour and 12 minutes after the killing. Investigators do not know why he stayed there for so long, but Thijssen used James’ phone to message her father from the bathroom. “Don’t ask why or call please come to the school now and pick me up,” it said.

While her family and friends were frantically trying to reach James, Thijssen – whose clothes did not appear to have blood stains – returned to his car and drove to Diamond Bay reserve. Investigators believe he took James’ phone with him.

At one point that evening, he had a Snapchat conversation with a mutual friend about a uni quiz, in which they sent photographs to each other.

“He looked a bit blank,” Single quoted the young woman as saying. “He didn’t look like he was worried or was in trouble or anything.”

While sitting in his car near the reserve just before 10pm, Thijssen made electronic funds transfers worth $9100 to each of his flatmates, describing them as “six months’ rent”.

Thijssen called triple zero at 11.45pm, which was played to the court. His voice was quiet and calm; the operator could barely hear him. He told them there was a body at the school. “There is a bathroom, uh, on the right hand side of the [sports department], where there is a body,” he says.

He was asked if he’d been there; he said he couldn’t remember. “I think someone should just go there,” he told the operator, “before people arrive early in the morning.”

Paul left his car at 11.59pm, and wandered into the darkness. Police believe he deliberately jumped or fell from the cliff soon afterwards. Officers arrived, lights flashing, at 12.02pm, “just three minutes after Paul last left the car,” Single said. His body was located on the rocks that Friday.

Police rushed to St Andrews, too, where James’ father Jamie was looking for his daughter. They took him to the police station, and found her body in the bathroom. She was unrecognisable, and they didn’t know at this stage that Paul had taken her phone.

“Broadcasts were made looking for Paul and a blonde-haired Caucasian female being held against her will or an accomplice,” Single said.

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

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