How ‘floridly psychotic’ Bondi Junction killer slipped through the cracks
Joel Cauchi was “lost” to flailing mental health systems in two states – while Googling serial killers online and writing a note to “call knife sharpener”, Day 1 of the inquest into his deadly stabbing rampage in which he killed six people heard.
NSW
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Bondi Junction killer Joel Cauchi repeatedly slipped through the cracks of flailing mental health systems across two states – while looking up serial killers online, trying to obtain a gun licence and writing on his phone “call knife sharpener” – before he went on to kill six people and wound 10 more, a bombshell inquest has heard.
It comes as it can be revealed the shopping centre’s security cameras were unmonitored for the first minute of Cauchi’s frenzied attack after the single security guard in the CCTV control room took a brief bathroom break.
The inquest comes just over a year after Cauchi entered the shopping centre armed with a WWII military knife on the afternoon of April 13, 2024.
Within three minutes, he had fatally stabbed six people — Ashlee Good, 38, Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, Yixuan Cheng, 27, Faraz Tahir, 30, and Pikria Darchia, 55.
Ten more had been injured, including a young child.
Cauchi was shot dead by hero police woman Amy Scott, who arrived at the scene within minutes of a call for help being aired over the police radio.
In her opening address to the inquest, counsel assisting the coroner, Dr Peggy Dwyer, said Cauchi was a long-time schizophrenic who had been unmedicated and unsupervised for five years while living in Queensland, despite repeated attempts by his loving parents to get help for their sick son, which they claim fell on deaf ears.
“He’s mentally unwell, he needs treatment, he doesn’t know he’s sick,” Mrs Cauchi begged during an encounter with police at their Queensland home in 2023 when Cauchi became aggressive after his father confiscated his collection of military-style knives.
But Cauchi wasn’t scheduled or even taken for assessment, despite having a known history of “treatment-resistant” schizophrenia.
A year later, with his mental health deteriorating by the day, Cauchi spent the morning on April 13, 2024 Googling the Columbine school massacre before he entered the Westfields shopping centre and carried out his deadly rampage.
The officer in charge of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Marks, told the court Cauchi’s killing was random and not targeted at any one person or group of people.
“Whoever was in his way, where he was running, was who he attacked,” Insp Marks said.
The court heard a police examination of Cauchi’s phone after his death revealed Cauchi had spent months carrying out disturbing web searches including “21 famous serial killers”, “last mass stabbing Australia” and “what things do people regret while dying”.
He also made several notes on his phone including “check out malls”, “where to run” and “call knife sharpener” ahead of the attack.
The inquest will examine in detail the mental health treatment Cauchi received throughout his adult life, specifically in the years before the fatal stabbings and how he came to be what was described in court as “lost to the system” in the five years since his last psychological appointment.
‘LOST TO FOLLOW-UP’
“He had no consistent or formal engagement with the mental health system … and he was effectively lost to follow up – the consequences of which were the catastrophic events of April 13,” Dr Dwyer told the court.
“How that happened, and what could have been done differently, are key issues in this inquest.”
The court heard among the many examples of Cauchi’s interaction with the health system was an incident in Queensland in 2021, where he asked a doctor to author a report so he could obtain a gun licence.
The doctor signed off on Cauchi as being a “fit and proper person” to hold a gun licence, despite Cauchi disclosing a history of schizophrenia and hallucinations.
Meanwhile, another avenue of examination in the inquest will be the interaction between NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and centre security during the attack.
The court heard a female member of the security team was working alone in the control room when she left to attend the bathroom.
NO CCTV AS KILLER STRUCK
Dr Dywer said for one minute and 45 seconds, there was no active CCTV monitoring in place for the Westfields.
“It just so happened that exactly 40 seconds after [the female security officer] left for the bathroom, Mr Cauchi attacked Miss Singleton,” she said.
The court heard by the time she returned, Cauchi had attacked eight individuals, three of whom had died from their wounds.
“That the CCTV room was vacant at the time of the attacks appears to have impeded the centre’s initial response,” Dr Dwyer said.
“It meant that during the initial phase of the attack, where the prompt collation of information is crucial to providing situational awareness, security staff were behind the eight ball, that is they were playing catch up.”
Insp Scott is due to give evidence in the inquest on Tuesday.
SLAIN MUM’S FINAL ACT OF DEFIANCE
A senior NSW police officer has recommended murdered mum Ashlee Good should be posthumously recognised for bravery while saying he was left “in awe” of the courage displayed by Inspector Amy Scott during the opening day of the Bondi Junction stabbings inquest.
Chief Inspector Andrew Marks teared up as he recalled Ms Good’s final act of defiance against Joel Cauchi in defending her nine-month-old daughter, saving her life.
The court heard Ms Good was the fourth person to be stabbed by Cauchi during the frenzied attack inside the Westfields shopping centre on April 13, 2024.
Counsel assisting the inquest, Dr Peggy Dwyer, told the court on Monday that Ms Good was pushing her daughter in a pram when Cauchi attacked the new mum, causing her to stumble away from the pram.
Cauchi then proceeded to stab Ms Good’s infant daughter, who miraculously survived the attack, Dr Dwyer said.
“Despite her wounds, and in an act of what was tremendous and instinctive courage, Ms Good confronted Mr Cauchi,” Dr Dwyer said.
“She was able to defend her child, and to save her child’s life.”
In court on Monday, Insp Marks said he believed Good’s actions that day warranted a posthumous bravery award.
Insp Marks also commended the courage of Insp Scott, who confronted Cauchi and shot him dead inside the centre.
The court heard had Insp Scott not been on the scene so quickly, there was a real possibility Cauchi’s attack would have continued unfettered.
Insp Marks said an investigation found Insp Scott had discharged her firearm “lawfully and within all policies and procedures”.
“She acted bravely and professionally,” he said.
“Upon interviewing [her] I was in awe of her ability to recall the situation she was faced with.”
The court heard Insp Scott was able to move shoppers away from the immediate area, including two females pushing prams, that were within her line of fire.
Meanwhile, Dr Dwyer told the court there were amazing acts of selflessness carried out on the day.
“There were so many people called on to do something exceptional that day who rose to the task,” she said.
“There were also so many retail assistants, acting with a clear head and at least projecting calm … they locked down stores to protect customers.”
Dr Dwyer noted several were young, casual employees, as were the “young” police officers who ran after Insp Scott to assist.
Among those singled out for their heroism was security guard Muhammad Taha, who was injured during the attack but survived.
He was in court for the first day of the inquest and is expected to give evidence at a later date.
Also scheduled to be called to the witness box are French construction workers Silas Desperaux and Damien Guerot, who helped Inspector Scott find Cauchi and were “witnesses to the eventual shooting of Mr Cauchi”.
The pair are affectionately known as the “bollard men” after video emerged showing Mr Guerot brandishing a bollard at Cauchi at the top of an escalator in a bid to hold him back.
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