Bondi Junction stabbings inquest to review killer Joel Cauchi's 'preoccupation with death', interaction with police and mental health authorities

Australia Broadcast Center

28-04-2025

A coronial inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing will examine killer Joel Cauchi's "preoccupation with death and murder" and "inner turmoil" in the lead-up to fatal attack.
Cauchi, 40, killed six and injured 10 during a stabbing rampage at the Westfield shopping centre in Sydney's east on April 13, 2024.
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He was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott less than six minutes after the attacks began.
Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Yixuan Cheng, Ashlee Good, security guard Faraz Tahir and Pikria Darchia were killed in the attack.
Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peggy Dwyer SC said police searches of his phone found "Mr Cauchi was preoccupied with weapons, with violence and with mass killing".
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She said there was evidence of "rudimentary planning" and that in the years prior Cauchi had purchased "Ka-Bar knives", which were used on the day of the attack.
On February 12 last year, he made a note to check out malls and "where to run" and later searches found he was "planning a strike or an attack".
"The browsing history on Mr Cauchi's mobile phone beginning around late 2022 suggested a preoccupation with death and murder".
"There were bookmark pages on serial killers, searches containing mass stabbing incidents in Australia and searches in relation to serial killers".
The six people killed by Joel Cauchi following his attack in April 2024.
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'A man who was seriously unwell'
However, Dr Dwyer emphasised there was "no direct evidence indicating any motive in relation to what happened", apart from insight into his "inner turmoil and his dark thoughts leading up to the incident".
"What these records unequivocally show is a man who was seriously unwell."
Cauchi, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, in 2024 was experiencing homelessness in Sydney, away from his parents in Queensland and "completely detached from the mental health system", she said.
Dr Dwyer said the five-week inquest, which began on Monday, would also review Cauchi's mental health treatment, including the "reduction and cessation" of medication prescribed to manage his mental health.
Joel Cauchi's was not being actively treated for his mental ill-health in the lead up to the attack.
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She said his parents had expressed concern about him possessing knives, including some of a similar style used by Cauchi during the Bondi attack.
"Mr Cauchi's father was worried about him having those knives, and the court will explore whether that was an opportunity missed for intervention by police, which may have resulted in Mr Cauchi being re-engaged with the mental health system at the time," Ms Dwyer said.
"It is important to learn from this catastrophic event, as I've already touched on, Mr Cauchi's mental health treatment in Queensland is a very important topic."
"His treatment for schizophrenia and the decision to reduce and ultimately cease his psychotropic medication, the consequences of that reduction, whether there were early warning signs of a relapse … and [that] he was taken off that medication" will be examined, she said.
Inquest to also explore opportunities for intervention
The court will also examine if "there were any opportunities for an intervention that may have prevented what ultimately occurred" by Queensland and NSW mental health authorities.
However, she acknowledged both states were "under strain" and that it "was neither possible or appropriate for this inquest to seek to identify how to reform the entirety of the mental health system".
The inquest will also review "any opportunities for interventions were missed" by both Queensland and NSW Police in their prior interactions with Cauchi.
Photo shows
NSW Police officer Inspector Amy Scott pays tribute marking one year after bondi stabbing attack
Families of the victims and dignitaries commemorate the April 13 stabbing attack inside Westfield Bondi Junction that claimed six lives.
In her opening statement, Dr Dwyer acknowledged the " truly unfathomable" grief of the victims' families.
"The public nature of this grief is a burden for the families that we are trying to be mindful of at every stage of the inquest," he said.
NSW State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan said the court would do "all that we can" to assist the families during the court proceedings.
The hearings are scheduled to run until May 30, with oral evidence from 40 witnesses to be heard, including from Inspector Scott.
It will also explore the initial response by security staff at Westfield, "including when staff first became aware of what Mr Cauchi was doing".
Only two civilian witnesses are expected to be called at the wishes of the family to limit recounts of the fatal day.
NSW State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan expressed her condolences to victims' families.
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She reiterated her condolences to the victim's families, who had been "tirelessly advocating for their loved ones".
"Our ultimate hope … is to provide much-needed answers about how the tragic events of April 13, 2024 occurred and how such events can be prevented in the future"," she said.