Lindt siege inquiry: ‘You’re an absolute disgrace’

THE mother of Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson yesterday stormed out of the inquest with bitter words for a police commander: “You’re an absolute disgrace”.

• Police commander thought he’d sent officers in to deaths
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• Psychiatrist led police to believe Man Monis would surrender
• The chilling end to the Lindt siege

THE mother of Lindt Cafe manager Tori Johnson yesterday stormed out of the inquest with bitter words for a police commander: “You’re an absolute disgrace”.

For Rosie Connellan, reliving her son’s final moments at the hands of crazed terrorist Man Monis took its toll as the police commander described those last hours in the cafe as “high stakes games”.

“I’m sorry did you say games?” Gabrielle Bashir SC, representing Mr Johnson’s family, interrupted the detective chief superintendent.

Tori Johnson was killed by Lindt gunman Man Haron Monis.

Rowena Johnson, the mother of Lindt Cafe siege victim Tori Johnson, leaves the inquiry. Picture: Britta Campion / The Australian.

“Would you like to apologise to Tori Johnson’s family. This was not a game on the night.”

As Ms Connellan and Tori’s father, Ken Johnson, and the parents of slain hostage Katrina Dawson, Jane and Alexander Dawson, listened from the public gallery, the officer heaped insult upon injury.

His name suppressed, he went on to say that Monis had rights just like the hostages — the 18 men and women he had terrified at the end of a shotgun for up to 17 hours while claiming to have a bomb in his backpack and representing Islamic State.

“I accept that game may not be the right word,” the officer, who was the commander who finally ordered police to storm the cafe after Mr Johnson was shot dead by Monis, said.

“I had to make some crucial decision to try and get the best outcome and that’s what I did

on the night.

Tori Johnson at the window of the cafe during the standoff.. Picture: Channel 7

“I can’t ignore Man Monis as an individual. He had the same rights as anyone else.”

It was at that moment that Ms Connellan stood up and as she left the courtroom, turned at the door and shouted: “You’re an absolute disgrace.”

Mr Johnson followed her as the court was adjourned.

The chief superintendent was the head of the forward command post from 10pm on December 15 until he committed police to assault the cafe after Mr Johnson was shot dead at 2.13am on December 16.

Ms Dawson died after being hit by seven fragments of police bullets.

The officer defended his decision not to storm the cafe at 2.03am after Monis fired his first shot as six hostages escaped, stating he was assessing intelligence about what to do next.

The trigger was the death or serious injury of a hostage or the imminent death or serious injury.

In more embarrassing communications lapses by the police, the officer said he was never told that listening devices in the cafe picked up Monis telling Mr Johnson at 2.04am: “Stand there, there, there, there. Don’t move”.

Katrina Dawson also died during the shootout.

Gunman Man Haron Monis.

Nor that at 2.06am, Monis told Mr Johnson to put his hands on his head ordering him: “Manager ... you will not move.”

And when the Monis fired his second shot at 2.09am, one of the negotiators standing not six metres away from the officer received a test message about the shot — but never passed on.

“You were only prepared to go (into the cafe) when there was no (opportunity) but to do so and that was when Tori Johnson was shot,” Ms Bashir put to the officer towards the end of yesterday.

He denied that.

“These are high stakes games your honour,” he said.

“There’s a lot at stake for the hostages and the police. I don't accept the position that I was sitting waiting for that trigger point to be reached.

“These are difficult bloody decisions your honour. I did my absolute best on the night.”