Constable Ashley Wildey rushed to the scene as Bondi’s horror unfolded… only to find his fiancee was among the victims
The police officer fiance of a young woman killed in the Bondi Junction stabbing rushed to the mall to help his colleagues, only to discover his wife-to-be was one of the victims.
Dawn Singleton, 25 – who is the daughter of multi-millionaire advertising guru John Singleton – was due to marry her high school sweetheart, NSW police officer Ashley Wildey, in the coming months.
Ms Singleton’s life was tragically cut short along with five other shoppers when she was stabbed in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday afternoon by Joel Cauchi, 40, while shopping for her wedding.
‘She had just gone in to buy makeup at Chanel, she was only there for 15 minutes looking at makeup for her wedding,’ a friend told the Daily Telegraph.
Sir. Wildey, who was reportedly on duty, rushed to the mall to help fellow police officers with the unfolding situation.
“He had arrived at Westfield when officers realized his fiancee was one of the victims,” a source said.
Mr. Wildey was then allowed to leave the scene to be comforted by family and friends, as is procedure.
Dawn Singleton (pictured left) was shopping for her wedding. Her fiance Ashley Wildey (pictured right) rushed to the mall to help his colleagues only to discover his wife-to-be was one of the victims
![John Singleton's daughter Dawn, 25, has been named among six people murdered by knife-wielding attacker Joel Cauchi in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday.](https://thewstnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Constable-Ashley-Wildey-rushed-to-the-scene-as-Bondis-horror.jpeg)
John Singleton’s daughter Dawn, 25, has been named among six people murdered by knife-wielding attacker Joel Cauchi in Bondi Junction Westfield on Saturday.
![Dawn is the eldest of three daughters of John Singleton and his ex-wife Julie Martin (the couple pictured above)](https://thewstnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1713135588_219_Constable-Ashley-Wildey-rushed-to-the-scene-as-Bondis-horror.jpeg)
Dawn is the eldest of three daughters of John Singleton and his ex-wife Julie Martin (the couple pictured above)
The 25-year-old, affectionately known as Dawnie, is one of Singleton’s three daughters from his marriage to Julie Martin. He has a total of eight children.
Last week she bought her wedding dress and started sending out ‘save the date’ invitations to loved ones and friends ahead of the special day.
The tragic new details come as Australian fashion powerhouse White Fox Boutique paid tribute to Ms Singleton, who worked as the company’s e-commerce assistant.
“Dawn was a sweet, kind-hearted person who had her whole life ahead of her,” the company wrote on Instagram.
‘She was really amazing. We are all truly devastated by this loss.
‘We send our condolences to her partner, the Singleton family and her friends. She will always be remembered as part of the White Fox family.’
Ms Singleton was the second victim of the horrific attack to be identified after it was revealed that osteopath and first-time mother Ashlee Good, 38, had died in hospital on Saturday night.
Mrs Good’s nine-month-old daughter was also injured in the attack and is in a serious but stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery overnight.
Double Bay architect and mother-of-two Jade Young was identified as a third victim of the attack on Sunday.
Police were called to the mall at 3.20pm when Cauchi, brandishing a large hunting knife, chased after men, women and children.
Footage posted online shows terrified shoppers running outside to escape or taking shelter in stores as a siren blasts through the center urging shoppers to evacuate.
Inspector Amy Scott was patrolling nearby and was first on the scene. She entered the mall alone and bravely ran towards the assailant before shooting and killing him when he lunged at her with the knife.
Five other people – including Ms Singleton, Ms Young, two other women and a man in his 30s – died at the scene.
Twelve others – including Mrs Good, her 9-month-old child, eight other women and two men – with stab wounds, were treated by paramedics and taken to various Sydney hospitals.
Some have since been discharged, while others remain in serious conditions.
Assistant Commissioner Cooke said there were also several other people injured in the attack who left Westfield and later presented to medical centres.
![Joel Cauchi from Queensland is pictured holding a 30cm hunting knife on the escalator inside the Westfield shopping center at Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon](https://thewstnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1713135590_983_Constable-Ashley-Wildey-rushed-to-the-scene-as-Bondis-horror.jpeg)
Joel Cauchi from Queensland is pictured holding a 30cm hunting knife on the escalator inside the Westfield shopping center at Bondi Junction on Saturday afternoon
Addressing reporters on Sunday, NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb said it would take time to formally identify some of the victims of Saturday’s attack as their family members live overseas.
Cauchi has since been identified as a Queensland man who moved to Sydney in recent months.
He suffered from schizophrenia and had a transient lifestyle, with police treating the tragedy as a mental-health incident.
The mall and surrounding streets remain closed Sunday while police continue to search the crime scene for forensic evidence.
Police have launched a critical incident team of homicide detectives and established Strike Force Mcauley to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The investigation will also be subject to an independent review.
While the investigation continues, any witnesses, anyone with information or mobile phone sightings who have not yet spoken to police are urged to call police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.