It took Joel Cauchi just three minutes to kill six people and injure 10 others in a stabbing attack at a popular Sydney shopping centre, an inquest into the attack has heard.
A NSW coroner's court heard on Tuesday that Cauchi, 40, suffered from a mental illness and was sleeping rough at the time of the incident, and had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication , prompting his parents to confiscate his hunting knives.
The investigation also revealed that no alarms were raised inside the center before Cauchi was shot by police.
The April 13 incident devastated Australia, where mass killings are rare, and sparked a national debate on gender-based violence.
In total, 14 of the 17 people stabbed that day were women, including five of the six killed and a nine-month-old baby. The NSW Police Commissioner said at the time it was “obvious” Cauchi had targeted women.
Tuesday's hearing set out areas of focus for a comprehensive inquiry which is expected to begin fully in April 2025. The inquiry will examine possible security breaches and failures in NSW's mental health systems and from Queensland, Cauchi's home state.
Speaking outside court, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, the barrister assisting the coroner, said Cauchi had not taken psychotropic medication since 2019, despite authorities having been repeatedly warned of his deteriorating condition. Cauchi had come to the attention of Queensland police on several occasions, she said.
In his statement, Dwyer also provided the first detailed timeline of how the violence actually unfolded in Bondi that day.
She said Cauchi – who was sleeping rough in the suburb of Maroubra on the morning of the attack – entered the Westfield shopping center around 3:30 p.m. (local) and began stabbing people around three minutes later, after removed his knife while waiting in line at a bakery. .
His first victim was Dawn Singleton, 25, followed by Jade Young, 47, and Yixuan Cheng, 25. He then attacked Ashlee Good, 38, from behind.
Good – who was described by her family as an “exceptional human in every way” – then saw Cauchi stab her nine-month-old baby girl in her pram, and was further injured while trying to save the baby's life. child, the court heard.
Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old security guard, was then stabbed, alongside a colleague. Onlookers at the time said he died “trying to save others.”
Cauchi fatally stabbed Pikria Darchia, 55, before being shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, who was on duty nearby. Between the time Scott arrived and the time she killed Cauchi, just over a minute had passed, the court heard.
In total, the attack lasted five minutes and 43 seconds, but no alarms were raised during this time.
“It’s not yet clear why the alarm took so long to go off,” Dwyer said.
Before opening the hearing, Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan acknowledged the pain and loss the wider community was still feeling as a result of the violence.
“I offer my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones who are here in court today as well as those who cannot be here in person,” she told the court, according to Guardian Australia.
“It’s important to me and my support team…that you feel safe, that you feel heard, and that you feel cared for throughout this process.”
