Hero dad speaks out about horrific night bodybuilder broke into his family home
A Sydney father who tackled and fatally restrained a bodybuilder who broke into his home has revealed in hindsight there were “better ways” he could have handled the situation.
Francois Schwartz, 44, was faced with a split-second decision when 35-year-old Brad Soper, who police believe was on drugs at the time, stumbled into his Harrington Park home early on February 17.
With his young daughter and wife in the home, Mr Schwartz acted swiftly to protect his family, but in the resulting altercation, Soper lost consciousness and when paramedics arrived at the home, they were unable to revive him.
While police have cleared Mr Schwartz of any wrongdoing, he told The Daily Telegraph “the heat of the moment” may have skewed his judgement as to what the best move was.
“In retrospect there are better (ways) this could have been handled,” he said.
Mr Schwartz said he could have called the police instead of approaching the intruder or he could have set off the house alarm.
The father, a South African-born business analyst who has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder following the incident, said he regularly wonders what the outcome would have been if he had acted differently.
Despite showing elements of regret over his actions on the night of the break-in, Mr Schwartz revealed its essential to not allow fear to take over.
“It’s very frightening, you are all that’s between him and your wife and toddler, and you have to do what you have to do... you must be brave, even if you are s**t-scared.”
Soper was a prominent figure in the competitive strongman scene and was well-known in gyms across Sydney and his hometown of Dubbo.
Mr Schwartz say he is grateful for the support he got from his employers and the community in the wake of the incident.
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