![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/school-horror-water-polo-coach-855329384-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLILIE James was\u00a0a water polo instructor\u00a0found brutally murdered at the prestigious Australian school where she worked. <\/p>\n
The 21-year-old was allegedly beaten to death with a hammer by her ex-boyfriend Paul Thijssen, who later took his own life.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lilie James was a water polo coach working at St Andrew's Cathedral School in Sydney's central business district.<\/p>\n
The 21-year-old had also been studying sports business at the University of Technology Sydney while balancing the part time role.<\/p>\n
Close friends described her as "the nicest and kindest person". <\/p>\n
Lilie's body was found in a St Andrew's gym bathroom around midnight on Wednesday, October 25. <\/p>\n
She is believed to have been beaten to death with a hammer, according to NSW Police.<\/p>\n Her father had earlier contacted police when she failed to return home.<\/p>\n Lilie's suspected killer is Paul Thijssen, 24, who she dated in the five weeks leading up to her death. <\/p>\n Dutch-born Thijssen also worked at the school as a sports coach and had previously attended St Andrew's as a student.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Police found Lilie's body with "serious" head injuries after Thijssen, alerted them of her death over the phone.<\/p>\n Reports later emerged that Thijssen sent a text to Lilie's father using her mobile, asking him to pick her up from the school. <\/p>\n CCTV footage showed Thijssen following Lilie into a bathroom at 7pm on Wednesday. <\/p>\n Video captured Thijssen leaving the area over an hour later while Lilie is never seen emerging. <\/p>\n The pair's relationship is believed to have recently ended. <\/p>\n Before her death, Lilie had lived in Sans Souci, in Sydney's south, and graduated from all girls school Danebank in 2020.<\/p>\n Her family released a statement on Friday which paid tribute to the "vibrant, outgoing" young woman. <\/p>\n "(She was) very much loved by her family and friends," the statement read. <\/p>\n "We are tremendously grateful for the support of our community at this difficult time. <\/p>\n "As a police investigation is underway, we will not be providing further comments."<\/p>\n Lilie's cause of death will be determined via a post-mortem examination but NSW Police have deemed it a homicide.<\/p>\n Paul Thijssen was a sports coach who is suspected of killing his former girlfriend and colleague Lilie James before taking his own life.<\/p>\n Thijssen, 24, was originally from The Netherlands, and had studied at St Andrew's from 2015 until 2017.<\/p>\n In his final year, Thijssen was sports captain before studying business at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. <\/p>\n He returned to Australia and spent the pandemic alone in Sydney, something which reportedly had a negative impact on him. <\/p>\n Students at the school noted Thijssen was a\u00a0\u201ccreep who was flirtatious with the girls\u201d at St Andrew's.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a wandering eye and flirtatious personality which unsettled young girls in the sports team,\u201d one student told the\u00a0Saturday Telegraph.<\/p>\n \u201cI am absolutely shocked by the circumstances but there\u2019s no doubt that he was a creep.\u201d<\/p>\n Former classmates also noted Thijssen was\u00a0\u201carrogant\u201d\u00a0and \u201chated\u201d by boys and liked by girls.<\/p>\n In the hours after the murder, Thijssen was capture on CCTV footage walking along a clifftop footpath, in Vaucluse.<\/p>\n The footage, along Chris Bang Cresent, which is in Sydney's richest area, showed Thijssen arriving in the street at 8.47pm. <\/p>\n He was then seen getting out of his silver Lexus at 9.03pm before appearing to dump a hammer, the apparent murder weapon, in a bin.<\/p>\n It would be another two hours before Thijssen called police to notify them of the horrific murder scene. <\/p>\n He is then believed to have jumped off the cliffs at Vaucluse Viewpoint, near an area famed for several high profile suicides.<\/p>\n A widescale search ensued to find Thijssen's body before remains were discovered before 8am on Friday.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/newspress-collage-9435064-1698428509554.jpg\")
<\/picture>HAMMER MURDER <\/span><\/p>\nWater polo coach 21, beaten to death with hammer in gym by 'killer ex'<\/h3>\n
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