A mentally ill Wollongong man who drove down a packed city mall during a night market in February told police he wanted people to think it was an act of terrorism.
John Caddle was detained by security guards after he drove his Hyundai Accent 150 metres into the western end of Crown Street Mall while honking his horn on the evening of February 16.
The mall was hosting the Eat Street Festival at the time and was full of people, including small children.
Caddle, from Mangerton, later told police it was a spur of the moment decision and he had no intention of hurting anyone, however had wanted to test the response time of local emergency services.
He said he also wanted to prove that "Melbourne was fake", referring to the January 20 incident in which a car drove into lunchtime crowds in Bourke Street Mall, killing five people and injuring more than 30.
"No body died in Melbourne, it was all stage crisis actors feigning injury," he told investigating officers.
Caddle also admitted he wanted people to believe they were under attack "from ISIS" and said this partly inspired his decision to wear a Muslim prayer cap that night.
John Caddle (picture in 2011) was found to be in a manic state when he drove his Hyundai Accent (inset) Crown Street Mall. Photo: Illawarra Mercury, WIN News Illawarra
No comments:
Post a Comment