Pregnant woman’s stabbing during Sydney home invasion ‘senseless’, family says
Forensic investigators at the Mount Colah home where Ms Cheah was stabbed on Thursday. Photo: ABC
The family of a pregnant woman stabbed multiple times at her Sydney home have spoken out, saying it was a “senseless, terrible and random act of violence”.
Pei-Jiun Cheah was alone in her home at Gloria Close in Mount Colah on Thursday evening when she interrupted an intruder, who allegedly her stabbed in the stomach and chest.
Her family said Ms Cheah and her unborn baby were now in a stable condition at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Pei-Jiun Cheah is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in her home on Thursday.
“We would like to acknowledge the brave acts of kindness and care that the neighbourhood of Mt Colah extended to Pei-Jiun, in the short moments after the assault,” they said in a statement.
“We would like to once more please request that the family be given the respect and privacy so that they can focus on Pei-Jiun’s full recovery.”
Next-door neighbour Mark Bolger said the 33-year-old had managed to walk to his house after being stabbed.
“She just knocked on our door and said she’d been attacked and ‘help me, help me’,” Mr Bolger said.
Neighbour Mark Bolger and his wife tried to comfort Ms Cheah after she called for help.
“You could see blood but we couldn’t see her actual wound.”
Mr Bolger said the woman was so distressed she could barely speak while they waited for police to arrive.
“We put a blanket around her, my wife tried to comfort her and that’s all we could do really,” he said.
“We tried to move her inside the house but she was just so stressed out she didn’t want to be moved from where she was.”
Clients of Ms Cheah, who is a physiotherapist and Pilates instructor, said they were shocked by what had happened and were praying for her recovery.
They described “PJ”, as she is known, as a gentle, kind person and a “fantastic physio”.
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with a number of offences over the incident, including attempted murder.
He is also charged with aggravated break and enter, and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He was not required to appear in Parramatta Children’s Court today and did not apply for bail.
He was remanded in custody to appear via video link in September.
If convicted, the boy faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
