Lindt siege inquiry: Man Monis’ head ‘burst like a balloon’ under police fire

GUNMAN Man Monis’ head ‘burst like a balloon’ under police fire, gruesome evidence at the inquest into the Lindt Cafe siege revealed today.

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GUNMAN Man Monis’ head “burst like a balloon” under police fire, the inquest into the Lindt Cafe siege has heard today.

The gruesome description was given by police ballistics expert, Lucas van Der Walt, who attended both days of the post-mortem examination of Monis’ body.

The inquest has heard that Monis was shot twice in the head, possibly three times, as two heavily-armed Tactical Operations Unit officers stormed the cafe to bring the siege to an end at 2.13am on December 16, 2014.

Shot dead.... Man Haron Monis

Police move in to end siege.

The gunman’s body on the ground as bomb disposal officers enter the cafe

Mr Van der Walt said the damage to Monis’ head made it impossible to tell exactly how many police bullets actually struck him.

“The damage to Monis’ head was of such a nature that you couldn’t see enough there to be able to tell how many bullets struck it,” Mr Van der Walt said today.

“When a bullet hits a head, the temporary wound cavity is massive.

KATRINA DAWSON WAS HIT SEVEN TIMES

“The fluids in the skull expand and because it’s encased by the skull, the skull bursts like a balloon.”

Monis appeared to have been reloading his pump-action shotgun as he fell to the floor.

One of the TOU officers fired 17 rounds from his semiautomatic M4 rifle which would have taken just 3.59 seconds, Mr Van der Walt said.

The other officer fired five rounds.

Barrister Katrina Dawson was struck by seven fragments of police bullets as she hid under chairs.

Cafe manager Tori Johnson had been murdered by Monis, triggering the storming of the cafe by police.

The inquest in Sydney continues to hear ballistics evidence today.

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