Suicide after teenager killed with axe


Qld police are continuing to piece together events that led to the deaths of a schoolgirl and a woman.







A WOMAN who plunged to her death from Brisbane’s busiest bridge is suspected of killing a teenage girl with an axe before taking her own life.


Tributes flowed yesterday for Sidonie Thompson, 14, who was remembered as a friend and a gifted student who dreamed of a career as a neurosurgeon.

The girl’s body was discovered by her father when he returned from tennis lessons to their luxury home in inner-city Paddington just after 7am yesterday, the Nine Network reported last night.

He made a frantic triple-0 call only minutes after police arrived at Brisbane’s Story Bridge, where the woman, 48, had abandoned her car, blocking one of the lanes. She then jumped from the bridge to her death. She was reported to be the girl’s mother, but police would not confirm this.

A 12-year-old boy, believed to be Sidonie’s brother, was in the car left on the bridge. He was taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries.

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The suspected murder-suicide rocked the quiet street in which the family lived in Paddington, a wealthy precinct of Brisbane’s inner north. The woman was a company director, while the children’s father is believed to be a senior businessman.

Sidonie attended one of Brisbane’s most exclusive girls school, Somerville House, where students were yesterday being offered grief counselling over the tragedy. Police cordoned off more than 100m of the Paddington street yesterday, as forensics experts combed the family home.

More than 4100 people joined a Facebook memorial page last night for Sidonie, known to her friends as Sid, with one contributor, Lexi Mckee, describing her as “such a sweet girl”.

“Rest in peace, Sidonie, your life will always be cherished x,” Hannah George wrote.

“You have no idea how much we are going to miss you,” Bronte Poon added.

Those who lashed out at the woman were urged by others to show restraint.

“Please, out of respect, just show your compassion for her friends and family and celebrate the way she lived, instead of debating how she died,” wrote friend Erin Matsuura-Miller.

“There’s no justifying what she did, but her mum was really unwell, so maybe you should think before you speak,” Alana Bethune wrote.

Somerville House principal Flo Kearney said the school community was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy.

“The student was well-respected and popular with her peers and staff, and was friendly, engaging and involved in the wider school program,” Ms Kearney said.

“She will be sadly missed.

“Our thoughts are with the family and we uphold them in our prayers at this tragic time.

“School chaplains and counsellors have been communicating with and providing support for students, staff and parents throughout the day.”

Sidonie’s family is highly respected in international business circles.

They purchased their Carrington Street home for $1.3 million in 2001. The family also owns properties in Woolloongabba and Coorparoo with a combined worth of more than $1.2m.

Police are preparing a report for the coroner.

Sidonie would have turned 15 in November.

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