Staff at an elite boys’ school have erupted after the outgoing headmaster, who described Lilie James’ killer as an ‘absolute delight’, received a Guard of Honour just hours after chilling new details of her brutal murder emerged. 

Ms James, 21, was killed when Paul Thijssen, 24, struck her in the head at least 25 times with a hammer inside St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney on October 25, 2023.

She had ended her casual relationship with Thijssen five days earlier, prompting him to stalk her and plot her murder, an inquest heard. 

Dr John Collier, who worked at St Andrew’s before joining Shore, sparked backlash after he praised his former pupil in a school newsletter less than a month after Ms James’ death.

‘[Paul Thijssen] was, in everybody’s estimation, an absolute delight,’ he wrote. 

‘I knew him years ago as a fine student, a Prefect, a role model … He was not a monster; rather, in the last five hours of his life he committed a monstrous act.’

Dr Collier and the school, which educates boys from kindergarten to Year 12 and costs parents up to $48,100 a year, apologised for the remarks.

But staff have been left ‘disgusted’ after Dr Collier was honoured the same day Ms James’ death was revealed as part of a horrific pattern of violence against women.

Four current and former staff members told The Daily Telegraph they opposed the Guard of Honour held for Dr Collier ahead of his retirement. 

One woman who works at Shore said the celebrations made her feel ‘sick to her stomach’ and set a ‘poor example’ for young men.

‘I’m disgusted that he was never held accountable for his actions,’ she said.

‘Instead the school has put on over-the-top and lavish celebrations for him and even went to the lengths of deleting criticism on social media posts about him.’

Another female member of staff claimed Dr Collier had avoided ‘real consequences’.

‘It was in extremely poor taste for Shore to hold a Guard of Honour the day after the inquest into Lilie’s death, especially as her grieving father had spoken out about the impact of these comments,’ she said. 

At the conclusion of the inquest, Ms James’ father Jamie warned the media not to share positive comments about men who commit violence against women.

‘Please don’t report on positive comments, saying people are ‘good blokes’ (or) ‘men are delightful’, it’s not acceptable, it’s disheartening and it’s cruel,’ he said.

A Shore spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the Guard of Honour was a school tradition to mark the contribution of long-standing staff and retiring headmasters, and the date was determined many months in advance.

‘The dinner was the bi-annual Shore Council and Staff Dinner, a night to thank all staff. This year it included a farewell to Dr Collier, who had served as Headmaster since 2022,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘Dr Collier has previously apologised to staff and the entire School community for his comments.’

The school posted a video on LinkedIn of the Guard of Honour celebration for Dr Collier held on November 28.

The outgoing headmaster was seen strolling through the school flanked by two lines of boys applauding him.

But just hours before his triumphant procession through the school, a coroner delivered chilling findings on Ms James’ death.

Her ‘senseless and violent’ death inside her workplace reflected the alarming and persistent scourge of gendered and domestic violence in Australia, State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan found in her inquest findings on November 27

‘Lilie’s death is not an isolated tragedy,’ she said.

‘It is part of a devastating pattern of violence against women that demands urgent and sustained action.’

Unsettling footage also showed Ms James smiling as she chatted with Thijssen, just moments before he ambushed and bludgeoned her to death, leaving her unrecognisable. 

A week after the Guard of Honour, Shore unveiled a portrait of Dr Collier, painted by renowned Australian artist Ann Cape, to pay tribute to his ‘outstanding leadership and enduring contribution to our School community’.