Sydney siege inquest: Gunman Man Haron Monis’ head ‘burst like a balloon’
POLICE fired 22 rounds at the Lindt Cafe siege gunman and his “skull burst like a balloon”. Warning: Graphic content
POLICE fired 22 rounds at the Lindt Cafe siege gunman Man Haron Monis and his “skull burst like a balloon”, gruesome evidence at the inquest revealed this morning.
Police raided the cafe after Monis executed hostage Tori Johnson at point blank range at 2.13am on December 16, 2014.
Barrister and mother-of-three, Katrina Dawson, 38, was killed in the crossfire by fragments of police bullets.
The first two Tactical Operations Unit officers to enter the cafe — identified only as “Officer A” and “Officer B” — fired 22 rounds at Monis, more than 17 hours after the stand-off started. Monis was killed after he was struck by at least four intact rounds.
Ballistics expert Lucas van der Walt said Monis was struck by police bullets at least twice, possibly three times in the head, and many more times in his upper body.
“The damage to Monis’ head was caused by bullets was of such a nature one couldn’t see enough there to be able to tell you how many bullets struck it,” he said.
“When a bullet hits a head, the temporary wound cavity is massive.
“The fluids in the skull expand. And because it’s encased by the skull the skull bursts, basically like a balloon.”
“I wouldn’t expect fragments to necessarily do that. I would expect a lot of velocity.”
The inquest heard that Monis’ torso, was struck multiple times, mostly by fragmented bullets.
“Due to the damage caused it’s very hard to say,” Mr van der Walt said. “His body was not struck by stable bullets in flight.
“They mostly started tumbling or fragmenting by the time the shots or bullet fragments penetrated his torso.
“(Monis) had one bullet wound to his right foot. But the majority of wounds were (in his upper body).”
Mr van der Walt said the gunman cowered or fell and went “limp” behind a chair when he was shot.
“The damage was done to his head, and falling and he’s either cowering behind the chair or he’s limp,” he said.
Mr van der Walt said Monis’ backpack — which the gunman had earlier falsely warned contained a bomb — was riddled with bullets.
“A large area of the backpack sustained a lot of damage,” he said.
The inquest this morning also heard that Monis appeared to have re-loaded his gun after he murdered Mr Johnson, just seconds before police shot him dead.
Mr van der Walt agreed it might “have been the case” that he was in the process of reloading “when the operation ceased”.
Mr van der Walt said evidence was consistent with “re-loading taking place” but that it could have just appeared that way because of how Monis fell when he was shot by police.
Ms Dawson was hit in the right shoulder, right upper back, left shoulder, left upper back and neck area, and twice in the right side of the neck.
A total of 55 grams of bullet fragments were recovered from her body.
Some of the wounds contained copper fragments, confirming the were fired by TOU officers’ weapons as the ammunition used by Monis didn’t contain copper.
PARENTS FORCED TO SIT THROUGH WRENCHING FOOTAGE
The parents of Sydney siege hostage Katrina Dawson have sat through a graphic and “confronting” 3D reconstruction showing the inside of the Lindt Café in the aftermath of the bloody stand-off.
Counsel assisting the inquest into the deaths arising from the siege, Jason Downing warned the footage was “very confronting” and reminded present, including former hostage Louisa Hope and family members of deceased hostage Katrina Dawson, that they were free to leave the room at any point.
Ms Dawson’s parents and Ms Hope stayed.
Crime scene officer Domini Raneri told the inquest that police used a tripod and laser scanners to accurately replicate the interior and exterior of the crime scene within a millimetre.
Several 3D “fly-through” videos were played on Tuesday, which came to a bloody end at 2.13am on December 16, 2014, more than 17 hours after gunman Man Haron Monis took control of the cafe in Martin Place.
The first “fly-through” video played was an exact reconstruction of the scene at the cafe captured using state-of-the-art 3D imaging technology.
It showed Monis sprawled out on the floor of the café next to a large smear of blood and surrounded by shattered glass, debris and upturned tables. The scans also showed the exterior of the café, taking in everything from Elizabeth St to Macquarie St in Martin Place.
A second fly-through video showed the three positions where snipers were located during the siege — diagonally opposite the cafe at Westpac, the RBA building, and directly opposite at Channel Seven — and their field of view into the cafe.
The recreations were made to determine the sequence of events in the final moments of the siege that ended with two innocent people killed, several hostages and a police officer wounded, and the gunman dead.
The technology also enabled bullet trajectories to be reconstructed, and for the crime scene to be viewed from any angle.
An application has been put forward to the Coroner to release the footage to media. A decision is yet to be made.
Mr Raneri also revealed he had done “3D scans” on the dead bodies of victims Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson and the gunman for forensic evidence.
“We needed the information to compare wounds,” he told the inquest.
The inquest before NSW Coroner Michael Barnes continues.