The ex-boyfriend and suspected killer of a ‘beloved’ water polo coach is believed to have used his role in a school sports department to get her alone on the night of the murder.
Investigators believe Phil Thijssen would have known he’d meet Lilie James at St Andrews Catholic School on Wednesday night when she returned sports equipment after a coaching session.
The body of Ms James, 21, was discovered in a gym bathroom at the elite private school in Sydney’s CBD just before midnight.
Police suspect Thijssen, 24, bludgeoned her to death with a hammer after she broke off their secret five-week relationship.
Just hours after the horrific attack Thijssen called Triple Zero to report where her body was and is understood to have ended his own.
Investigators believe Phil Thijssen would have known he’d meet Lilie James (pictured) at St Andrews Catholic School on Wednesday night when she returned sports equipment after a coaching session
Just hours after the horrific attack Thijssen (pictured) called Triple Zero to report where her body was and is understood to have ended his own
Thijssen was a hockey coach at the school and hired to manage equipment returns in the sports department.
Part of Thijssen’s duties were to be at the school when coaches would return from various locations across the city to drop off equipment, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Through this role, Thijssen is believed to have known that he would be seeing Ms James on the night of the brutal murder.
Thijssen’s final moments were captured on CCTV as he calmly walked down a street less than two hours after he is believed to have killed Ms James.
He was seen arriving in his silver Lexus at Chris Bang Crescent in Vaucluse at 8.47pm on Wednesday. About 15 minutes later, security cameras filmed him walking steadily along the footpath.
He then dumped the hammer he is suspected of beating Ms James with in a bin before returning to his car.
Thijssen sat in his car until 9.49pm and then drove to another location nearby where he waited two hours before phoning police.
Thijssen is suspected of murdering Ms James (pictured) with a hammer on Wednesday night after she broke off their five-week relationship
Just hours after the attack Thijssen (pictured) called Triple Zero, which was tracked to The Gap in Sydney’s East, to tell them where they would find Ms James’ body
His body was found at about 8am on Friday when construction workers noticed spotting a body in the water at the base of a cliff, close to Diamond Bay Reserve, where officers had earlier been searching for Netherlands-born Thijssen.
Authorities spent Friday morning working to retrieve the body from the water, with a Westpac rescue helicopter and a police jetski.
The man’s body, which appeared to be naked, battered and bloated, could be seen slumped between rocks at the base of the cliff.
Police have since confirmed the remains belong to Thijssen, after cross referencing finger prints with prints from the Netherlands embassy.
While authorities spent hours attempting to retrieve the body from harsh conditions, police emerged from Thijssen’s flat with two bags of evidence.
has been told that Thijssen had lived in the cramped flat since August with his old school friend who works in exercise physiology.
Police battled harsh weather conditions on Friday after a body was found near Diamond Bay, near where Thijssen is believed to have plummeted to his death
The body was later identified as Thijssen’s after cross referencing finger prints with prints from the Netherlands embassy
As the school community mourned the beloved water polo coach, Ms James’ grieving family broke their silence to pay tribute to their ‘vibrant’ daughter.
‘We are devastated and heartbroken by the loss of our beautiful Lilie James,’ they said in a statement.
‘She was vibrant, outgoing and very much loved by her friends and family.
‘We are tremendously grateful for the support of the community at this difficult time.’
A source close to the family told everyone in Ms James’ circle is ‘completely numb’.
‘It’s numbing – there are no other words that can describe the pain we’re in,’ they said.
‘Everyone is completely numb.’
Ms James, who was studying sports business at the University of Technology, has been described as ‘vibrant, outgoing and very much loved by her friends and family’
Ms James was studying sports business at the University of Technology, having graduated from Danebank Anglican School in 2020, while coaching at St Andrew’s part-time.
Supt Fileman said the circumstances of the death would also be confronting for students as it involved school staff.
‘We’re currently working in with the school to ensure the welfare of the students and they have measures in place to make sure those students are taken care of,’ he said.
Meanwhile, tributes have poured in online for the talented young dancer, actor and swimmer whose life was tragically cut short.
‘There was nothing you couldn’t do, beautiful girl. Fly high Lil, we will miss you forever,’ one friend said.
‘Lilie was the most kind, caring, funny and supportive friend there is,’ another friend wrote.
‘I could never think that we would lose our friend in these circumstances. Our world is so cruel. Thank you for the memories and the good times Lilie.’
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