Lindt siege inquest: Andrew Scipione and Catherine Burn had left work before siege ended
EXCLUSIVE: POLICE Commissioner Andrew Scipione and deputy Cath Burn left work hours before the Lindt Cafe siege ended in bloodshed.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- POLICE COULDN’T SEE LINDT CAFE DURING SIEGE
- TERRORISM EXPERTS QUESTION POLICE TACTICS
- WAS GUNMAN MAN MONIS WORKING ALONE?
POLICE Commissioner Andrew Scipione and his deputy Cath Burn left work hours before the Lindt Cafe siege ended in bloodshed.
Deputy Commissioner Burn has become the most senior officer to be told to make a statement to the Lindt siege inquest. She could be followed by Mr Scipione after pressure from the families of slain hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, who have demanded answers from the police hierarchy.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal both Mr Scipione and Ms Burn had left command posts before police stormed the cafe to bring the siege to an end after Mr Johnson was killed at 2.13am on December 16, 2014. Neither officer would say yesterday where they were, because the matter was before the Coroner.
Both had spent the day of the siege in emergency meetings, briefings with Premier Mike Baird, senior officers and other advisers after Man Monis locked the cafe doors about 9.40am on December 15.
They travelled between the State Crisis Command Centre at Redfern, where they joined Mr Baird, and the Police Operations Centre in the city, from where the siege response was being managed.
Ms Burn logged out at 10pm but remained until about 11.30pm when both she and the Commissioner left command posts. They will not say if they went home or checked into a city hotel, as did Mr Baird and then-police minister Stuart Ayers, who both left about 10pm.
The inquest is also considering calling Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy, who was acting deputy commissioner in charge of field operations. Mr Loy remained on duty throughout the night.
“We will get a full statement from Ms Burn concerning her involvement,” counsel assisting the inquest Jeremy Gormly SC said yesterday.
“We have had letters from the families asking that Ms Burn, Mr Scipione and Mr Loy be called.”
Ms Burn is head of special operations, which includes counter-terrorism, the negotiators and the Tactical Operations Unit, who had crucial roles during the 17-hour standoff with armed gunman Monis.
Mr Gormly said yesterday, while he had not considered it necessary to call Ms Burn, who was the media “face” of the siege, elements had emerged in evidence given by witnesses which had led him to reconsider. “The true or forensic level of her involvement is yet to be determined,’’ he said.
He said the inquest was examining whether to seek statements from Mr Scipione and Mr Loy, who may then be called to give oral evidence.
The inquest heard yesterday that Mr Scipione and Mr Baird should have consulted with police negotiators before their joint 8.15pm press conference, according to an international negotiations expert. By not doing so, they “missed a number of opportunities” to get Monis on the phone by appealing to his sense of grandeur and importance, former senior Scottish police officer Dr Andrew Brown said.
Greengrocer giant poised to bite into more Sydney suburbs
A fresh produce chain is eyeing plans to open stores in more parts of Sydney in a move to take on the big supermarket retailers. Find out where.
‘Pretty big ideas’: Mayor’s plan to ‘transform’ CBD
A plan to transform a NSW south coast town’s central business district is set to be revealed to the public, with the mayor behind the proposal speaking on the “pretty big ideas”.