Why we must not look away from this moment of horror

Of all the chilling moments during the first week of the inquest into the horrific stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction a year ago, one stood above the rest.

The NSW Coroners Court was shown a 3D reconstruction of the massacre, in parallel with CCTV footage of killer Joel Cauchi, hero policewoman Inspector Amy Scott and bystanders rushing through the shopping centre. The reconstruction ends as Cauchi approaches Scott from 6.5 metres away brandishing a large military knife, and the computer-generated image shows what she would have seen when she fired her fatal shots.

The moment brought silence to the inquest as the horror of April 13, 2024, came into sharp focus.

State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has the unenviable job of examining the circumstances in which Cauchi, who had a long history of mental illness, killed six people that Saturday afternoon just over a year ago. He injured 10 others, many seriously, before his rampage was stopped.

The details are heartbreaking. Those lost were new mother and osteopath Ashlee Good, 38; bride-to-be Dawn Singleton, 25; artist Pikria Darchia, 55; architect Jade Young, 47; economics student Yixuan Cheng, 27; and Westfield security guard Faraz Tahir, 30. The grief caused remains deep and raw.

O’Sullivan struck the perfect tone on the opening day by offering heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed, saying there are “simply no words that can properly convey the magnitude of your loss”. The coroner commended the families for their “emotional fortitude and resilience” in participating in the inquest.

We have heard already of Cauchi’s distressing online searches that showed a preoccupation with mass murder; of how Scott’s quick and courageous actions “saved the lives of many others”; of the bravery of bystanders; of how a security officer stepped out of the CCTV monitoring station 40 seconds before the attack; of the delays paramedics experienced in the chaos while trying to determine whether there was a second attacker.

There are more difficult but important days to come. The inquest is not confined to examining the events of April 13 last year; another focus will be the gaps in the mental health system through with Cauchi fell.

Counsel assisting the inquiry Peggy Dwyer, SC, said in her opening address Cauchi had a long history of mental illness, was without adequate supervision for about five years before his death, and his medication had been ceased. There will be a focus on the treatment of chronic and severe mental health conditions, and schizophrenia in particular.

Dwyer also stressed that the court was not interested in singling out any particular individual who was “doing their best in a fallible system put to the test by Mr Cauchi’s acts of violence”.

Blame has no place here. There are lessons to be learnt and processes to be improved in an attempt to mitigate the chances of such a tragedy from happening again. This is what makes the process so important, and why, as difficult as it is, we must not look away.

Bevan Shields sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.