Dad involved in fatal home invasion 'struggling to cope' after strongman's death
The western Sydney father who was involved in a fatal scuffle with a strongman during a home invasion is struggling to cope and is reportedly undergoing counselling.
Harrington Park resident Johan Francois Schwartz, 44, was woken early on February 17 by his dogs barking and found Bradley Soper standing downstairs.
A struggle ensued and Soper, a 34-year-old personal trainer and international weightlifter, lost consciousness and couldn’t be revived by paramedics.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the South African-born business analyst is now battling post-traumatic stress syndrome.
“As anyone can imagine, someone has died in his home, he is coping but struggling to come to terms with what happened,” Detective Chief Inspector Shane Woolbank told the Daily Telegraph.
“We have referred him for counselling.”
Soper was farewelled by friends and family in his hometown of Dubbo last week, who, along with police are still trying to understand what led him inside the Schwartz property.
His death prompted an outpouring of grief by friends and others who knew him as a prominent figure in the competitive strongman scene or as a fixture around gyms in Sydney and Dubbo.
An obituary published by central west newspapers, described him as a “greatly loved and adored son” and “great mate and mentor to many”.
The obituary, which called for donations to CanTeen Australia in lieu of flowers, notes Soper’s cremation service will be held on Wednesday morning at Dubbo.
“Taken way to (sic) young mate,” a friend wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
“We had some great times over the years. Until we meet again.”
A police source, last week, said post-mortem and toxicology examinations were inconclusive and further tests would be carried out to determine what happened in the hours leading up to Soper’s death.
The results of those tests are yet to be made public.
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