A Frenchman who defended himself from a knife-wielding killer in Sydney has been granted permanent residency in Australia.
Hero Damien Guerot, 31, was nicknamed Bollard Man after security footage showed him fending off Joel Cauchi with a plastic barrier.
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His actions – with his friend Silas Despreaux, who was not seen on camera – saved lives in an attack that left six dead and a dozen more injured.
Guerot was also filmed brandishing a plastic chair as he ran towards Cauchi after the Police Inspector. Amy Scott.
Guerot, along with her French colleague and co-worker Silas Despreaux, were with Scott when she ended Cauchi’s rampage with a fatal shot.
Despreaux, like Guerot, chased Cauchi and threw a stick at the killer, but did not appear in the images posted on social media or broadcast by the news.
Builder Guerot’s temporary work visa was due to expire in July pending intervention by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
He said: “I say this to Damian: you can stay as long as you want. This is someone we would welcome if he became an Australian citizen, although that would be a loss for France.
“We thank him for his extraordinary bravery.”
But Guerot had mixed emotions.
He said: “It’s just unbelievable. But how can I be happy when so many people and families are very sad about your loss?”
His French friend Despreaux is already a permanent resident of Australia.
Who did Joel Cauchi kill at Bondi Junction Westfield shopping mall?
Cauchi stabbed five women and one man to death.
The victims are:
- Faraz Tahir, 30, refugee who started working as a security guard at the mall on the day of the attack
- Dr. Ashlee Good, 38, a mother whose nine-month-old baby was also stabbed
- Dawn Singleton, 25, e-commerce assistant and daughter of businessman John Singleton,
- Jade Young, 47, architect and mother of two
- Pikria Darchia, 55, a local artist
- unidentified woman
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
