Inquest Reveals Chilling Details of Lilie James' Premeditated Murder
Paul Thijssen meticulously planned and rehearsed the 2023 murder of his ex-girlfriend Lilie James, highlighting issues of coercive control and domestic violence.
- CCTV footage presented at the inquest shows Paul Thijssen waiting outside a bathroom with a hammer before murdering Lilie James at St Andrew’s Cathedral School.
- Thijssen rehearsed the attack multiple times, locking doors to prevent interruptions and placing a sign to ensure James entered the bathroom of his choosing.
- Evidence highlights Thijssen's history of controlling and stalking behavior in prior relationships, including hacking social media and physically intimidating a former partner.
- After the murder, Thijssen sent misleading texts from James' phone to her father to prompt the discovery of her body before students arrived at the school.
- The ongoing inquest examines broader issues of coercive control, technology-facilitated abuse, and the challenges of identifying warning signs in intimate partner violence.