Sydney: NI woman sheltered those fleeing fatal knife attack

Leanne Devine, a Sydney salon owner originally from the Kilkeel area, helped people who were fleeing from the attack

A County Down woman who runs a hair salon close to the scene of the Sydney stabbings kept her business open to shelter those fleeing from the attack.

Six people were killed when a man stabbed customers in Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre on Saturday.

Leanne Devine said "traumatised" customers came into her salon having run in fear for their lives.

"We're in shock mode - it's traumatising," she said.

"I've been in Bondi Junction for 21 years and I've never witnessed anything like this."

Before emigrating to Australia, Ms Devine lived in Brackenagh, just outside Kilkeel, and is a former pupil of St Columban's College.

Her hair salon is on Sydney's Oxford Street, close to the shopping centre, and many of her clients work and shop in Westfield.

'Really scary'

Speaking to BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme she explained how her staff had been getting ready to finish up for the day when they saw "hundreds of people running and screaming, shouting in fear".

Police continued their investigation at the scene on Sunday

Ms Devine said many of those fleeing were in tears.

"People came in telling us people are stabbing people, somebody's been shot."

'Ready to pass out'

Elderly people who were doing their grocery shopping were among those who took shelter at the salon.

Ms Devine said some of them could not walk any further and they had "hot and cold sweats" from what they had witnessed.

She explained salon staff tried to calm them down as "we thought some of them were literally going to pass out".

"We had to give them glasses of water and then there was more (people) coming in - it's just because it (the salon) was the first point outside Westfield."

At that point, none of them knew if the attack was continuing or if the suspect was still on the loose.

"It was just the fear that was in the air - we didn't know at that stage who was dead," Ms Devine said.

Other people took shelter because their cars were trapped in Westfield's car park for hours while a major security operation continued.

"It's just trying to digest it all - I feel so sorry for the families that have passed away, for their friends and their family and the people inside Westfield - it's just going to be so horrific for a very, very long time.

"This type of stuff just does not happen in Bondi," added Ms Devine.

"To be there and be so close and be right in it, and see the fear and the trauma in children's and people's eyes, it's just horrific."

The man who carried out the attack was shot dead by a lone police officer.

He has since been identified as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi.

Queensland Police said he was known to them, having been first diagnosed with a mental illness at 17.

Among those killed in the attack were Ashlee Good, a 38-year-old mother who died protecting her baby.

Ms Devine said her thoughts were with all the victims - the dead, the injured and those who witnessed the attack.