Lindt cafe siege: Police officer told to ‘drink the pain away’

A BRAVE police officer struggling to cope after being at the entrance to the Lindt Cafe when hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson were killed was told by his boss to drink his way through the pain.

• Lindt Siege in 24 iconic images
• Police furious over inquest ‘show trial’

A BRAVE police officer struggling to cope after being at the entrance to the Lindt Cafe when hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson were killed was told by his boss to drink his way through the pain.

The 37-year-old is the first officer to sue the government for negligence after the bloody 2014 siege, claiming the way it was handled has led him and other police to suffer severe post-traumatic stress.

The former detective, Mr S, was on duty at a Western Sydney police station when he was called to the city on December 15, 2014. At 9pm he was ­ordered by a counter-terrorism officer to take up a position in Phillip St. But he was given no instructions, no radio and only a vest for protection while those in the Tactical Operations Unit near him were kitted out in full body armour.

Katrina Dawson was killed — probably by a stray police round — during the Martin Place siege.

Tori Johnson was shot dead by Man Haron Monis during the siege. Picture: Supplied.

A 3D reconstruction of police assaulting the Lindt Cafe.

Mr S was ordered to Martin Place as part of the stand-off.

Mr Johnson and Ms Dawson were both killed during the 16-hour standoff, as was gunman Man Haron Monis.

The former police officer’s lawyer, John Cox of Specialist PTSD & Injury Lawyers, said he would be filing a formal damages claim this week in respect to the acts and omissions of the NSW Police Force.

Lindt siege gunman Man Haron Monis.

“In investigating this matter on behalf of Mr S and other clients of mine who were also involved in the siege, I have come to have significant concerns regarding some aspects of how the matter was handled and the operational circumstances my client found himself in,” Mr Cox said.

Catherine McGregor: Heads need to roll after the Lindt siege inquest

“There will be allegations about his deployment and not only the lack of training … but the lack of basics such as personal protective equipment and other equipment needed by him on the day.”

Terrified hostages forced to hold up a sign covered in Arabic writing during the stand-off. Katrina Dawson was killed during the siege. Picture: Channel 7

One of the officer’s most startling claims is that when he confided to a supervisor about his anxieties following the siege he was told “alcohol will get you through it’’.

READ MORE: ‘I should have been inside the Lindt Cafe that day’

“I find the advice given to him, that in effect he should, drink his way through the trauma, to be extremely concerning and of course entirely inappropriate,’’ Mr Cox said.

“As a direct result of the trauma he experienced during the siege he suffered significant psychological injury in the nature of chronic post-dramatic stress disorder. He remains in a very distressed state.’’

The thousands of floral tributes laid at the Martin Place memorial site for Sydney siege victims Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson. Picture: James Morgan

Mr S has since been discharged from the force on medical grounds. “He has lost the job he loved and wished to remain in for the rest of his ­career,” Mr Cox said.

The NSW Police Force said it has a range of long-established measures in place for officer welfare during and following traumatic incidents, including incident support debriefs and provision of welfare services.