Source : Perth Now news
Queensland Police officers, retail workers and a Bondi Junction security guard are set to give evidence at an inquest examining a deadly stabbing rampage inside a shopping mall.
The coronial inquest is examining the events of April 13, 2024, when Joel Cauchi entered Bondi Junction Westfield armed with a 30-centimetre knife.
Experiencing psychotic symptoms, the 40-year-old killed six people and injured 10 others before being shot dead by police.
Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Yixuan Cheng, 27 and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, were killed by Cauchi.
During the second week of the inquest, due to run until the end of May, Queensland Police officers who had interacted with Cauchi in the years before the attack will give evidence.
Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teen, Cauchi had been successfully treated while living with his family in Toowoomba, near Brisbane.
However, his mental condition deteriorated after he ceased taking anti-psychotic medication in 2019.
He was also cut off from psychiatric sessions after moving to the Queensland capital in early 2020.
Also due to give evidence during week two are Bondi Junction retail workers, a security guard and NSW paramedics.
The inquest has previously heard evidence from senior police officer Amy Scott who ended the rampage by fatally shooting Cauchi.
State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan is overseeing the hearings, with the aim of giving the victims’ families a better understanding of what happened that April Saturday.
She is examining Cauchi’s background, including how police interacted with him during his largely transient lifestyle.
She will also look for any potential missteps in his mental health treatment after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The response to the tragedy by security guards and the media will also be probed.
Lifeline 13 11 14
beyondblue 1300 22 4636
