A darker picture is forming of the weapon-obsessed child rapist shot dead in a Sydney pub on Australia Day after stabbing a policeman.
Neighbours have told how Nick Newman, 33, boasted about being a contract killer and would walk down his quiet street in Penrith brandishing a samurai sword.
The disturbing revelations come as his victim, Detective Sergeant John Breda, briefly woke up in hospital on Monday and squeezed his wife’s hand while smiling.
The hero cop needed 44 bags of blood over 30 transfusions, suffered damage to his liver and lungs, and had a kidney removed during a series of life-saving operations.
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Nick Newman, 33, stabbed a cop trying to arrest him on six child rape charges at a Sydney pub on Australia Day before he was shot dead
The 45-year-old has only just opened his eyes, smiled, and squeezed his wife Kim’s hand briefly, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Police sources said he instructed two patrons in the pub’s beer garden on how to staunch the bleeding from his nearly fatal wounds until paramedics arrived.
Sergeant Breda was there to arrest Newman for raping a teenage girl six times from when she was just 11 in 2014 until only two weeks ago.
Neighbours said Newman, 33, was so unhinged he marched up and down his quiet suburban street in Penrith carrying the Japanese-style sword.
Kevin and Violet Armstrong, who lived next door to him on Kareela Avenue for 13 years, said he once claimed to be a hitman to a man giving his children a hard time.
‘He told me he said: ‘Do you know what I do for a living? I kill people. So if you do anything to my kids, you’d better watch yourself’,’ Mr Armstrong told the Daily Telegraph.
Detective Sergeant John Breda needed 44 bags of blood over 30 transfusions, suffered damage to his liver and lungs, and needed a kidney removed
The neighbour said the child predator was obsessed with attaining notoriety and was teaching his children martial arts.
‘He always said I’m going to be famous, and I said ‘mate, I hope you do — go and get a bloody job!” he recalled.
Newman injured Sergeant Breda so badly in the confrontation in front of horrified Australia Day revellers that he was still heavily sedated at St Vincent’s Hospital.
The decorated detective was in a serious but stable condition but doctors were so concerned about infection they have kept him intubated.
Newman’s mother had no idea her some was accused of raping a child and told Daily Mail Australia she felt ‘unbearable’ pain for both her family and Sergeant Breda’s.
Neighbours said Newman, 33, was so unhinged he marched up and down his quiet suburban street in Penrith carrying a samurai sword
Court papers seen by Daily Mail Australia show Newman first raped and indecently assaulted the child in early 2014 and kept performing depraved acts until just two weeks ago
‘It’s like an atomic bomb, so painful and terrible,’ said Anne Newman.
‘It is very shocking … Unbearable pain, it’s so painful. I can feel the pain of the other side, you know, the policeman who was stabbed.
‘I can feel the pain also. And I am praying for him that he will survive. It’s not easy for him. He has kids, he have a family he needs to look after.’
Ms Newman lived with her son in a small red-brick Penrith flat with an Australian flag hung up on the wall.
She was recovering at home recovering from aplastic anemia, a serious medical condition, when she learned the news from loved ones last week.
Ms Newman said she hadn’t known about the allegations.
‘There are allegations, I don’t even know what’s happening, what’s going on.’
Another close relative, who asked not to be named, said she only learned of the claims early last week.
An arrest warrant was issued for Newman’s arrest on six charges of aggressive sexual assault and one of reckless strangulation on Wednesday.
Newman (pictured) failed to appear in court of child sex offences two days earlier, with the paedophile wanting to end his life rather than spend time in jail
The devoted father and policeman (right) underwent emergency surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital as his devastated wife, Kim, (left) arrived to be by his bedside under police escort
Ms Newman said her son was on anti-depressants and had suffered hardship in his life.
‘He have depression. He sees psychiatrist, and I don’t know his psychiatrist. He is taking depressant medication,’ she said.
He worked only on-and-off because of his illness, with his mother saying he had ‘a lot of hardship in his life’.
The other relative said the family’s main concern was for Newman’s children, who were struggling.
‘At the moment, my main concern is the kids. It’s very hurtful for them, what they’re seeing everywhere,’ she said.
There are a lot of questions we don’t have answers for. It all happened so quickly.’
A year before the fatal confrontation, Newman and two other survivalists started Strategic Threat Solutions, selling military-style gear
Among items for sale at STS was a $425 Israeli combat knife similar to the one used to stab Sergeant Breda – which officers described as a ‘killing knife’
These knives were listed for sale on the site along with kevlar vests, ‘hard knuckle tactical gloves’, lockpicks, a variety of warfare-themed patches
Neighbour Kate Chaseling claimed Newman had ‘brought the little community together’ in the block and denied the allegations could be true.
A year before the fatal confrontation, Newman and two other survivalists started Strategic Threat Solutions, selling military-style gear.
Items for sale included kevlar vests, ‘hard knuckle tactical gloves’, lockpicks, a variety of warfare-themed patches, handcuffs, and even its brand of coffee.
Among all that was a $425 Israeli combat knife similar to the one used to stab Sergeant Breda – which officers described as a ‘killing knife’.
He was also active on forums of apocalypse survival group Zombie Eradication Response Team, which became a huge part of his life.
Newman’s mother had no idea her some was accused of raping a child and said she felt ‘unbearable’ pain for both her family and Sergeant Breda’s
On his Facebook page, run under a disturbing pseudonym, Newman posted images of bullets, and weapons, shared strange memes, and photos of ‘rabid’ wolves with the word ‘insanity’ underneath.
STS shut down its website when news of Newman’s affiliation was made public and said it would halt trading for the time being.
‘As by now people are aware that a former member of STS was involved in a serious incident on Australia Day in Sydney,’ the company said.
‘Prior to the incident the team was made aware and contacted by police about that member and the investigation, STS stood that team member down pending the police investigation and assisted police with their inquiries.’