St Andrew’s Cathedral School makes a painful decision over the gymnasium where 21-year-old Lilie James was killed by Paul Thijssen – as her family makes a touching gesture to all her schoolmates

EXCLUSIVE

The school where 21-year-old Lily James was tragically murdered last week will demolish the gymnasium where the young water polo coach was brutally beaten to death.

The gruesome crime scene left behind by 24-year-old murderer Paul Thijssen will be razed following the murder, according to an email sent to parents of students at St Andrew’s Cathedral School.

It is believed Thijssen lured Ms James to the gym on the pretext that she wanted to return sports equipment to him and then attacked her with a hammer in the gym’s toilets just after 7pm last Wednesday.

Police and school staff made the horrific discovery of her body after Thijssen allegedly confessed to his crime in a triple-0 call.

The principal’s email said the gym, which had been closed and cut off from the rest of the school since the incident, would remain behind barriers until demolition work was completed.

Lily James was found brutally murdered in the gymnasium of St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney’s central business district

The gruesome crime scene left by murderer Paul Thijssen in the school gymnasium toilet will be razed after the murder, according to an email sent to the school’s parents (pictured: the gymnasium).

Following the murder and the overwhelming response from teachers and students, a mountain of flowers, cards and gifts were left at the school.

The tributes were attended this week by Lilie’s family – including parents Jamie and Peta and brother Max – who viewed the heartfelt messages written about their beloved daughter.

“As has been the case every time I have spoken with them, they have shown deep concern and compassion for how our students are coping during this time,” said Principal Dr. Julie McGonigle in a message to parents on Friday.

“That alone is a testament to the caliber of the family. Please continue to support them in your prayers.”

Dr. McGonigle said the floral memorial would remain at the school for the rest of the week before being moved to the memorial gardens in Kirrikee, south of Sydney.

Following the murder and the overwhelming response from teachers and students, a mountain of flowers, cards and gifts were left at the school

She also thanked teachers for guiding students through their HSC exams “under unimaginable circumstances”.

Ms James had broken off a five-week romance with Thijssen in the days before her death.

Investigators now believe the heinous crime was premeditated after it emerged the baby-faced killer had bought a hammer and borrowed a car before luring Ms James to her death.

It is understood the hammer was not the one used to kill Ms James. Police believe Thijssen had two hammers, the other of which may have come from a school storage room.

On the day Ms. James died, he drove to work in a borrowed 2003 Lexus sedan. A source familiar with the investigation told the Daily Telegraph that the car would have allowed the sports coordinator to “make a quick escape afterwards”.

He also called police four hours after Ms James died in the gym toilet to let them know she was there.

“The informant says there is a body in a bathroom on the right side of the reception area.” Through the reception and to the left. The informant says he was there a few hours ago. “Female body,” the 911 operator explained.

It comes as exclusive photos obtained by Daily Mail Australia revealed the inside of Thijssen’s home, just hours after he is believed to have murdered wife James.

Photos of his messy bedroom show a pile of pills, a broken cupboard, a half-used toilet paper roll and clothes strewn across the floor.

Thijssen, a St Andrews graduate who grew up in the Netherlands, moved into the cramped semi-detached house in Kensington, Sydney’s southeast, in August with a young female flatmate and a male hockey player.

Neighbors said the three roommates were polite but “kept to themselves” and only knew Thijssen’s identity after the horrific events of October 25.

Leading criminal psychologist Tim Watson Munro told Daily Mail Australia Thijssen was a Control freak who demonstrated “next level cruelty.”

In Paul Thijssen’s bedroom a few hours after Lilie James was murdered, a Dutch brand “Stag” hockey jersey was on a rolled up doona, tablets including paracetamol and Nurofen and a men’s razor were on the bed. Thijssen moved into the house in August

Paul Thijssen’s body is rolled to a hearse after being recovered from rocks beneath the Diamond Bay reserve on Friday afternoon

“He knew exactly what he was doing,” said the renowned criminal expert.

“Guys like that are evil, they’re not crazy.”

“This does not appear to have been a spontaneous act of violence. “There is a clear intent: If you take a gun to a meeting, you are allowed to use it.”

Last Friday morning, tradesmen working on the coastal cliff walkway discovered a body wedged in the rocks below, where it was believed to have washed up after Thijssen jumped from the Diamond Bay reserve.

Thijssen’s parents made the grim decision on Wednesday not to return his remains to their native Netherlands, but instead have him cremated before scattering his ashes in Sydney.

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