Bondi stabbing: Baby hurt in shopping mall attack out of hospital

By Mattea Bubalo and Simon Atkinson for the BBC

A baby girl injured in the stabbing attack in a Sydney mall has been has been released from hospital.

The nine-month-old daughter of Ashlee Good, who died protecting her, would continue to receive care from clinicians, a health official said.

The girl underwent surgery at Sydney Children’s Hospital after suffering chest and arm injuries.

Six people were killed in the rampage at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping mall, five of them women, on 13 April.

Joel Cauchi, 40, sent the crowded complex into panic when he began stabbing people with a long blade. He was later shot dead by police.

The attack has horrified Australia, where mass killings are rare.

The baby girl was in hospital after the attack, along with several others, where she was moved from intensive care on Tuesday.

Health officials quoted in Australian media said the move showed her condition had undergone “a big change and a significant improvement”.

A GoFundMe campaign set up in Ashlee Good’s name has raised nearly A$670,000 ($NZ1.1 million) for her daughter.

“In a positive development, I can confirm the child who has been receiving care at Sydney Children’s Hospital following last weekend’s tragic events at Bondi Junction has been discharged home”, New South Wales Health minister Ryan Park said on Sunday.

“At the request of the family, I strongly urge the media and community to respect their right to privacy at this extremely difficult time.”

Thousands of people are expected to attend a candlelight vigil for the victims of the attack later on Sunday.

A special force has been created to investigate the attack, with New South Wales Police saying it could take months to present its findings.

Police will try to find out how and why Cauchi, who is from the state of Queensland, committed such violence.

He had been known to police, but had never been arrested or charged in Queensland.

Cauchi had lived itinerantly for several years and was first diagnosed with a mental illness at 17, Queensland Police said.

– BBC