Student breaks silence after being wrongly identified as Sydney knifeman

15 April 2024 , 10:58

902     0

Ben Cohen was wrongly identified as the knifeman responsible for Saturday's gruesome knife rampage in Sydney (Image: Facebook)

A university student wrongly identified as the knifeman behind a stabbing rampage in Sydney has spoken of the damage wrought by so-called amateur sleuths.

First-year computer science student Ben Cohen, 20, was accused of knifing shoppers during a spree at Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday. Within hours, the real culprit, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, from Queensland, was identified.

Shortly after the attack, the name "Benjamin Cohen" started trending on social media as more than 50,000 users mentioned him.

After his name was cleared, Ben spoke to News.com.au about the "very dangerous" accusations and how deluded sleuths can "destroy" a person's life with their unfounded theories.

Queensland man Joel Cauchi was named as the man responsible for the Bondi attack

Ben's dad Mark said the family were left in a state of shock after the allegations emerged online. "I think they've just gone for the first face that kind of looks the same and matches their own motives or what they wanted the story to be," Mark said.

Brit 'saw her insides' after being cut open by propeller on luxury diving trip

Even Ben's extended family found out about the rumours and were hounding Mark on the phone to find out if it was true. He explained: "Everyone's asking what's going on, people asking if it's true. Of course it's not true, he's not even a politically motivated person. He's just a normal kid who now has got to deal with this."

Cauchi being confronted during the attack

Mark took to social media in a desperate bid to clear his son's name, telling New South Wales that it needed to release Cauchi's name to stop the "nonsense" rumours.

Earlier, officials said it was "obvious" that Cauchi had targeted women during the vicious stabbing rampage. Five of the six people killed were women after Joel Cauchi, 40, caused chaos at the Westfield Bondi Junction mall when he took out a long blade and started stabbing people. As well as the fatalities, several other females, including a baby girl, were injured and rushed to hospital. The rampage came to an end when a lone police officer shot Cauchi dead.

Ashlee Good, one of the tragic victims (PA)

Pikria Darchia, 55, who was also killed (PA)

Speaking to ABC News, the New South Wales police commissioner said it was "obvious" Cauchi had targeted women. Out of all the fatal victims, only one was a man - security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, who had bravely tried to stop the knifeman. The five female victims were Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55; Dawn Singleton, 25; Ashlee Good, 38; and Cheng Yixuan, who is thought to be in her 20s.

"The videos speak for themselves, don't they?" commissioner Karen Webb said. "It's obvious to me, it's obvious to detectives... that the offender focused on women and avoided the men. We don't know what was operating in the mind of the offender and that's why it's important now that detectives spend so much time interviewing those who know him. It has been reported that five of the deceased are women and the majority of victims in hospital are also women.”

Faraz Tahir was killed while trying to intervene

Mum-of-two and architect jade Young was also stabbed to death

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told ABC Radio the breakdown of the victims was “concerning”. Asked about any links between the attacker and misogynist networks, he said: “All of that investigation will take place, it will be comprehensive, and nothing will not be looked at in this matter.”

Ryan Fahey