Cafe Lindt siege inquest: Police did not know Tori Johnson was about to be killed

A POSSIBLE breakdown or overload of communications in the crucial final minutes of the Lindt cafe siege has been blamed for police not knowing that Tori Johnson was about to be executed.

The Cafe Lindt siege inquest learned that police were unaware Tori Johnson (right) was about to be shot by Man Monis.

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A POSSIBLE breakdown or overload of police communications in the crucial final minutes of the Lindt cafe siege has been blamed for commanders not knowing that Tori Johnson was about to be executed.

In bombshell evidence to the siege inquest yesterday, the commander of the crack Tactical Operations Unit said he would have “strongly considered” having police storm the cafe at that point had he known about Mr Johnson.

“There was a whole lot I didn’t know,” the Superintendent said after being told one police sniper tried to radio the news in.

Cafe worker Elly Chen forced to stand in a Lindt café window during the siege. Picture: Seven News

It is another blow to the decision by police not to go into the cafe until after Mr Johnson was shot dead at 2.13am on December 16, 2014.

Commander after commander has told the inquest they were never told that three minutes after gunman Man Monis fired at escaping hostages at 2.03am, the cafe manager had been forced to his knees with his hands on his head.

Neither were they told of Monis firing a second shot at 2.09am.

Police did not activate their emergency action plan and storm the cafe until after Mr Johnson was killed. Barrister Katrina Dawson died after being hit by fragments of police bullets.

It was revealed yesterday one of the three police snipers, codenamed Sierra 3, who had a good view from the Westpac building opposite the cafe in Martin Place, said in his statement to the inquest that it was “likely” he had radioed in at 2.06am that a hostage was on his knees.

Victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson were honoured in floral tribute in the days after the siege. Picture: John Grainger

His partner has said in his statement that he had alerted Sierra 3 to the shocking sight, the inquest heard.

The TOU commander, the tactical adviser in the main police operations centre during the siege, said police radio traffic after the shot was fired at six escaping hostages at 2.03am had been very heavy.

“You are weak and unreadable,’ the tactical commander at the forward command post was recorded as saying at that time over police radio, although it was not clear who he was talking to.

Counsel for Mr Johnson’s family, Gabrielle Bashir SC, asked the Superintendent if he would accept there was a “critical failure” in radio communications.

“I accept that would be a significant issue and a failure,” the Superintendent said.

However he could not say whether it was a failure of communication equipment or a “call-over”, when one radio call blocks out another because of the heavy traffic.

The Superintendent said he would have “strongly considered” that the EA should have been triggered between 2.03am and 2.13am “based on what I know now”.

The inquest continues on Tuesday.