The family of an Australian man arrested over a shocking cafe rampage in Vietnam say they are fearful for his mental health as he languishes in a foreign prison.
Shaymus Lilly, 34, was detained in the early hours of May 30 after the incident at Ge Cafe in Da Nang, with the CCTV footage making headlines around the world.
Now a family member of Mr Lilly’s has told news.com.au they believe he was suffering from a bipolar episode at the time, as loved ones desperately attempt to make contact.
Speaking on the family’s behalf, his aunt Simone Buncher said the marketing entrepreneur from Western Australia had been living with bipolar disorder for a decade but had not had an attack for three years.
She said he was “just a normal kid from Mandurah” with no criminal record who had suffered a serious mental health episode while overseas.
“We are completely devastated by what has happened,” Ms Buncher said.
“We’re just desperately trying to get whatever help we can … we have no information.
“He’s not a bad person. He’s the most gorgeous kid you could meet.”
News.com.au identified Mr Lilly as the man in the viral footage after becoming aware of social media posts he made in the lead up to the incident last week.
The posts included live-streamed videos of the 34-year-old yelling for help and expressing fear at local police officers he called “mafia”.
“Look my name up on the web, Shaymus Lilly,” he can be heard to say.
“Shaymus Lilly needs help. They’re not police, they’re mafia.”
Ms Buncher was watching the streams from home in Mandurah and could tell a bipolar attack was coming on. She believed he would have no memory of the night and would be mortified to learn about his behaviour.
She also said his claims of being bashed by a local taxi driver a month earlier, which he made in another Facebook post showing his black eyes and bandaged arm, were true.
“From there his paranoia escalated,” Ms Buncher said of the attack.
Since his arrest, Ms Buncher said the family had not been able to speak with Mr Lilly and his mental state was a major concern.
“He’s in a severe bipolar attack,” she said. “We know nothing more.
“We are very fearful for him and his state of mind.”
Mr Lilly’s family have plans to travel to Vietnam when they receive more information, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it was assisting.
Local authorities have reportedly estimated the damage bill over the incident to be at more than VND500 million, or about $27,000.
Ms Buncher said the family would make restitution, adding there was “not even a second thought about that”. “No matter what we have to do, that’s going to happen,” she said. “We are just waiting for news. We haven’t had any. “And obviously we’re absolutely terrified about how he is and how he’s coping because he’s not in his mind.”
Mr Lilly runs a brand strategy company called Shaped and has been living in the Hoi An area of Vietnam’s central coast since April.
His LinkedIn profile suggests that prior to the move, he had been working successfully in the marketing industry in Australia.
On the evening of May 29, local time, he posted on the Expats in Da Nang Facebook page offering an invitation to “join a live video chat across my socials”.
“The people of Hoi An are beautiful. The Vietnamese are beautiful. The expat community is beautiful. I mean that,” he wrote.
“But beneath the surface, there’s an undercurrent – crime, drugs, and people pretending to be something they’re not. I won’t name anyone. That’s not my role. What I will say is this: trust your own judgment, and pay attention.”
At about midnight on May 30, he posted a status on Facebook reading “I need help”.
“I am of sound mind,” he wrote. “I will not resist authorities. I want to go back to Australia.”
The incident at Ge Cafe reportedly unfolded around this time after Mr Lilly arrived about 11.45pm on May 29.
Cafe owners alleged in social media posts Mr Lilly refused to return a mobile phone offered to help him translate before he took off his shirt and “proceeded to vandalise the place”.
CCTV footage showed him smashing windows, laptop, lamps and mowing down cafe equipment with a chair, destroying the coffee machine, coffee grinder and cups.
Footage also showed him appearing to put one cafe goer in a headlock as he grappled with patrons over a chair.
Ms Buncher believed Mr Lilly would “have no knowledge of any of it. He will not remember it. He’ll be terrified”.
She said the family had been “copping a lot of hate” and wanted to set the record straight about Mr Lilly’s character.
“Our main concern is his safety and his mental health in a Vietnamese prison. Again, he’s the quietest, most gentle, most loving kid. When he has a bipolar attack it’s the complete opposite,” Ms Buncher said.
“And that’s the only reason we’re speaking up now, is just that someone’s got to stand up for him.”
