Latest news with #BondiJunction
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
How Bondi Junction killer fell 'through the cracks' of mental health system
For the first time in almost 14 years Joel Cauchi was not taking any anti-psychotic medication. He was living independently of his parents and was studying and had ambitions of becoming a Chinese language interpreter. It was June of 2019. Cauchi had stopped taking any psychotropic medication and his then psychiatrist said his personality was emerging. But, by April 13, 2024 the man who had discovered life, free from the side effects of that medication, was "floridly psychotic", Counsel Assisting the Coroner Peggy Dwyer SC told the inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbings. Arming himself with a knife, 40-year-old Cauchi entered the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, in Sydney's east, and stabbed six people dead, injuring another 10 during his horrific rampage, before being shot dead by a police officer. For the past five weeks the New South Wales Coroner, Teresa O'Sullivan, has presided over an emotional inquest into the tragedy, seeking to uncover failings and shortcomings that led to the day that forever changed so many lives. She will consider how Cauchi fell "through the cracks" of the mental health system, as the inquest heard, effectively becoming "lost to the system". And whether medical professionals and police did enough to prevent it. The inquest heard at length from Cauchi's treating doctors, specialists and nurses. He was born on June 13, 1983 and his family first noticed behavioural changes when he was about 14. He was living in his home town of Toowoomba, an inland city west of Brisbane. At 17, he was admitted to the Toowoomba Hospital where he stayed for almost a month. He told doctors that he had hallucinations, reported seeing and feeling demons entering his body, feeling as though his movements were controlled and that people were inserting thoughts in his mind. The initial diagnosis was paranoid psychosis and schizophreniform disorder, a mental health condition similar to schizophrenia but lasting less than six months. Six months later, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. For almost 14 years, Cauchi was medicated on the drug Clozapine – an anti-psychotic medication only prescribed when two other forms of medication fail to manage symptoms of psychosis. Between 2012 and 2015, a decision was made, between Cauchi's then treating psychiatrist Andrea Boros-Lavack, himself and his family, to slowly reduce his Clozapine dose. In early 2016, Dr Boros-Lavack made a note: "Joel was becoming more animated, talkative, and getting in touch with his emotions in a good way. He was appreciating the opportunity to feel this way with reducing the dose of Clopine [a brand name for Clozapine]." "There were no negative effects so far. Spoke about the goal of becoming a Chinese language interpreter then marrying a nice girl, buying a house and working, and to work and live well." Cauchi himself, the doctor said, was very involved in the process of reducing the powerful drug and was "frightened of relapse". By mid-2018, he had ceased Clozapine but remained on a second drug, called Abilify, which then also ceased in June 2019. Cauchi moved out of home and was living independently, in a unit not far from his family home. He had progressed, according to Dr Boros-Lavack, from an inability to even make a cup of tea, to making two-minute soup. It was, in her words, a "milestone". Dr Boros-Lavack said she wanted to keep Cauchi in psychiatric care "for the rest of his life". By November 2019, Cauchi emailed Dr Boros-Lavack's clinic, seeking "ideas for a porn-free phone and other devices". He was expressing concerns about his excessive use of pornography and related insomnia. The same month, Cauchi's mother Michele called the clinic to say that her son was "very unwell" since coming off the medication and would like him reviewed. Michele Cauchi also emailed the clinic that month, telling them of a gradual decline in her son's condition since ceasing the medication. She said he was leaving notes on paper around the place and she believed he may be hearing voices. His obsessive-compulsive disorder, she said, was getting out of hand and that he was going through half a cake of soap in one shower. "He found out last week the place where he volunteers teaching English put someone new on and he'd been hoping to get a job there, so that was a real blow," Mrs Cauchi said. "I would hate to see him have to go back into hospital after 20 years of being stable on medication. But of course, being off it has made him realise how sedating it was … he quite possibly won't let on what is going on in his head, but I think you need to know how he is." Mrs Cauchi had read some of the notes left by her son. They referred to "under satanic control" and religious themes. A decision was made to recommence the drug Abilify, in a low dose. Dr Boros-Lavack was fearful it was early warning signs of a relapse of schizophrenia. Cauchi didn't take the medication. In an exchange with Dr Dwyer, Dr Boros-Lavack maintained she did not believe Cauchi was psychotic at that time of his mother's concerns. In fact, she said, he had been fearful of having contracted HIV after a sexual encounter and had gone to hospital to get antiviral drugs. "It wasn't the psychosis. It wasn't even early warning signs of relapse. It was based on his fear of STD. It was based on his sexual frustration, what he told us later on, about prostitutes and women and sex," Dr Boros-Lavack told the inquest. Her last face-to-face appointment with Cauchi was January 8, 2020. Dr Dwyer put to her that she must have suspected at that time that there might be symptoms of psychosis, given what had been reported by his mum and conflict at home. Dr Boros-Lavack's answer was unequivocal: "I was absolutely sure that he wasn't psychotic and that early warning signs of relapse was a false alarm. It was not psychotically driven." A month later, Cauchi's mother again rang the clinic, expressing concern that his self-care was poor, his place was a mess, he was isolated and irritable and swearing. A panel of five psychiatrists, called by the court to provide opinions on Cauchi's mental health treatment, agreed it was "reasonable" for Dr Boros-Lavack to reduce Cauchi's dose of Clozapine in order to find an "optimal dose" that would minimise unpleasant side effects of the drug. But one of the psychiatrists, Edward Heffernan, said he counted nine occasions that were of concern – relating to insomnia, his mother suspecting symptoms, a change in behaviour and satanic control. "To me, this flags we are probably having a psychotic episode here," Professor Heffernan said. Merete Nordentoft, a leading Danish psychiatrist, said the concerns were not taken seriously enough and described this period as a "missed opportunity" to put Cauchi back on anti-psychotic medication. In her opening address, Dr Dwyer said the inquest would review Cauchi's mental health treatment, where he was effectively without treatment and without adequate supervision for nearly five years before the Bondi killings. "We know from the evidence in the brief that Mr Cauchi had several interactions with Queensland police officers, including most notably in January 2023 where Queensland Police were called to Mr Cauchi's family home [in Toowoomba] following an incident where his father had confiscated a number of knives that were a similar style to that used by Mr Cauchi on April 13, 2024," Dr Dwyer said. "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 that time." By April 2024, Cauchi had been unmedicated for almost five years and was homeless in Sydney, where he had moved. "He had no consistent or formal engagement with the mental health system, or the health system more generally, and he was effectively lost to follow-up, the consequences of which were the catastrophic events of 13 April," Dr Dwyer said. "How that happened, and what could have been done differently, are key issues in this inquest." The inquest has now adjourned until October, when submissions will be heard ahead of coronial recommendations.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Cauchi's mass murders put harsh spotlight on failings of mental health and police systems
Joel Cauchi's mother didn't appear before the coronial inquest examining her son's life and the day her son murdered six people at a popular Bondi Junction shopping centre. But her presence was often felt, taking shape in the form of notes she had written to his doctor or in a conversation with a police officer. One of the most striking moments of the inquest was when Michele Cauchi, now in her mid-70s, was filmed via body-worn video camera on a police officer. She was standing outside her tidy home next to blooming hydrangeas, explaining how her son – who spoke multiple languages and had a university degree – had been deteriorating since he stopped taking medication. 'I don't know how we're going to get him treatment unless he does something drastic,' she says. These moments painted a picture of a mother engaging in a Sisyphean struggle to get her son – then living with untreated schizophrenia – help. But she could keep pushing only so far. Person after person who gave painful evidence at the five-week inquest told a similar story of doing their best in a 'fallible system'. It crystallised into a key takeaway: the system is letting down people in a crisis, like Cauchi. Cauchi's attack and the severity of it was a rare occurrence. But the system's failure to pick up on his slide after he stopped taking his medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia is sadly a familiar story. Psychiatrists who appeared as experts before the inquest said the vision when mental health asylums in Australia were dismantled in the 1970s was for community services to instead support those people in need. But Queensland psychiatrist Prof Edward Heffernan told the inquiry the planned funding for community services 'never really followed' the shift. Psychiatrists also told the inquest that services hadn't kept pace with population growth. Meanwhile, psychological distress was increasing across the population, and patterns of substance abuse and other modern stressors had made things worse. Ian Korbel, a psychiatrist not part of the inquest, tells Guardian Australia he once worked in a mental health outreach team that would respond to people in crisis. But that program stopped running in the mid-2000s. Korbel says the team that worked in Sydney's eastern suburbs used to check the beaches for people experiencing homelessness. Cauchi was reportedly sleeping rough there before the attack. Korbel says the faltering of services has resulted in the buck passing to police and the justice system. 'They're in the punishment business,' he says. 'They shouldn't respond to this, but the health system isn't resourced to respond to it.' Police are increasingly responding to such crises. The inquest heard that in New South Wales, police responded to 40% more mental health incidents in 2022 compared with four years earlier. Sen Sgt Tracey Morris told the inquiry: 'We will always look at [those incidents] from a policing lens. That may lead to charges and them going through the court system when [it's] effectively because of the mental illness.' Morris works as the mental health intervention coordinator in the Queensland police district where Cauchi's parents live, in Darling Downs. The day Cauchi's mother spoke to police, they referred Joel to her role – which helps people link in with health services – for a follow-up check. But the officer acting in her role while she was on leave missed the email. This moment to get Cauchi help was described by a psychiatrist at the inquest as a 'missed opportunity'. Fighting back tears, Morris told the court this was no reflection on that officer's capability, but a direct consequence of under-resourcing. At least four people should be doing her job in that particular police district, she said. One of the cruelest ironies of that under-resourcing issue came during the inquest in a blink-and-you-might-have-missed it-moment, where Morris said no one was covering her role while she was at the inquest for the week. She couldn't find anyone to backfill it. Matthew Morgan, an expert in policing mental health responses who lectures at the Australian Catholic University, says: 'The only people really to blame here is the government. If they're not going to invest in a proactive and responsive mental health system that can provide the community around-the-clock care … then the buck stops with them.' A recent report Morgan co-authored analysed Queensland coronial inquests into people fatally shot by police while experiencing a mental illness. Twenty-four people have been fatally shot in the state since 2008. There is a clear patten, he says. 'The state has really just failed them. 'There's just lots of patterns of sporadic treatment, lack of follow-up care, and then the police get blamed for their criminalising and sometimes lethal response to such situations.' The inquest heard there had been multiple improvements in crisis response since police spoke to Cauchi and his mother in January 2023. Police can connect with health professionals to get advice on incidents, and there are co-response models where healthcare workers respond to call-outs alongside police. Those changes – as Peggy Dwyer, counsel assisting the coroner, pointed out in the inquest – have come after multiple inquiries, internal police and government reports and coronial inquests. All make a similar recommendation: health professionals should respond to mental health crises, not police – at least not alone. Joining calls for this change are families whose loved ones have been shot dead by police while they were suffering a psychosis. One of the loudest recent voices has been Judy Deacon, the mother of Jesse, who police shot dead in Glebe in 2023 after reports he was self-harming. But co-responder models have not been rolled out nationwide, despite recommendations to do so. The leading model in NSW, known as Pacer, operates in just 20 of NSW's 57 police commands. During the inquest, Dwyer asked Dr Brendan Flynn, the executive director of the mental health branch of NSW Health: 'Why has there not been an expanded Pacer across NSW where sufficient demand is demonstrated, when this report came out almost four years ago?' Flynn responded: 'It's a resourcing issue. It would require new funds, and that's a matter primarily for government.' Later Dwyer asked: 'Is there a risk that we just then get stuck here for another four years where there's no rollout of more supports?' Flynn replied: 'I hope very much that's not the case.' Even if a version of Pacer were rolled out across NSW, Korbel says, more work needs to be done. 'Nowhere in Australia do we fund mental health as we should,' he says. 'NSW is the worst. It gives 5% of its health budget to mental health.' Korbel says that figure 'would need to be doubled at least' to match similar programs in countries such as England and Canada. Investment in health services can save money in the long term. Prof Olav Nielssen, a Sydney-based psychiatrist who appeared before the inquest, spoke about a supported housing charity he works at. It supports people revolving between hospital, prison and the homeless sector. He estimated the cost of having people in supported housing was a tenth of what it would otherwise cost having them bouncing around a network of hospitals, prisons and other institutions. He said NSW had 'plans' to have 70 of these beds but that there should be 1,000 to meet the need. Elizabeth Young, the mother of Jade Young, a victim of the stabbings, appeared before the inquest and described her 47-year-old daughter's murder as the 'stuff of nightmares'. She also described it as the result of 'years of neglect' within the mental health system. 'It seems to me that my daughter and five others were killed by the cumulative failures of numbers of people within a whole series of fallible systems.' In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Confusion and chaos: Key failings in the Westfield Bondi Junction attack revealed
Warning: Distressing content. People walked through the popular shopping centre with ease, there was nothing to suggest to them their afternoon would amount to anything other than the regular autumn day it should have been. Some were pushing prams, others running mindless errands. As shoppers began to run through the Westfield Bondi Junction, it was easy to brush the behaviour off. No one yelled as one woman, known as Witness I, saw people running towards her: she thought they were just being 'silly'. It was only after she 'felt an intense thud in her back' that she turned to see a man walking away with a knife, the large blade reminding her of the Crocodile Dundee movie. She placed her hand on her back and saw blood on her hand as she realised she had been stabbed. There had been nothing to alert her that the 'floridly psychotic' Joel Cauchi was in the midst of a deadly rampage, stabbing 16 people in less than three minutes. Witness I was his 13th victim, and as quickly as he'd stabbed her, he was onto the next victim. Another woman saw Cauchi approaching from the same way she'd seen people run from, less than a minute after Witness I was stabbed. 'Why is everyone running?' she asked him, before he stabbed her in the chest. Once inside the shelter of a nearby store the woman, known as Witness X, called her mum, believing 'she was going to die'. Cauchi's last victim, Liya Barko, saw the killer 'veer' her way and 'immediately felt a hot pain'. Realising she'd been stabbed, she believed Cauchi told her 'Catch you' before running away. Witness I, Witness X, Ms Barko and seven other victims survived the attack. Dawn Singleton, Yixuan Cheng, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, Ashlee Good, Jade Young and Pikria Darchia were all killed, tearing apart the lives of their loved ones, some of whom described their grief as 'bone deep, soul crushing agony' that follows them 'like a shadow'. CCTV showed Ms Cheng walking through the centre on her phone, 'oblivious' to what was unfolding, before she was killed. The sheer speed at which the attack unfolded left many in the centre unaware of what was happening: 'bollard men' Silas Despreaux and Damien Guerot told an inquest into the attack they ushered a woman, unaware of Cauchi lurking below, off an escalator before they threw bollards at the knife-wielding killer. Even security staff weren't entirely sure what was going on, with footage showing a security supervisor running towards a danger he had scarce information on. Through tears, he told the court he'd seen 'people on the ground' and had radioed to ask where the attacker was. When Inspector Amy Scott shot Cauchi at 3.38pm, the supervisor – like many in the centre – didn't know they were police shots, instead thinking he was being shot at. Fifty witnesses were called to give evidence to a five-week coronial inquest into the tragedy, many breaking down and crying in the witness box as they relived the horrors of April 13, 2024. The bar table and media room weren't spared from the tears, with tissue boxes placed throughout the building as the inquest concluded on Thursday. Red flags, missed opportunities The evidence painted a picture of confusion, missed opportunities and red flags in the care of Cauchi as well as the responses of emergency services and the centre's operator. This included a psychiatrist, known as Dr C, who deemed Cauchi fit for a weapons license in January 2021. This is despite Cauchi telling Dr C he'd only been on clozapine for two years, when in fact he'd been on the antipsychotic drug for nearly two decades to treat schizophrenia before he was gradually weaned off it. Dr C only discovered this after contacting Cauchi's former Toowoomba psychiatry clinic, and agreed with counsel assisting the coroner Emma Sullivan this was a 'red flag': he acknowledged he shouldn't have deemed him fit for the license. Counsel assisting the coroner Peggy Dwyer SC said it was 'very fortunate' Cauchi didn't follow through with a gun license after the Queensland Police Force issued him a statement of eligibility. Mum's concerns 'not taken seriously enough' An expert psychiatric conclave pored over evidence of the mental health care Cauchi received, with Denmark psychiatrist Professor Merete Nordentoft telling the court concerns raised by his mother of a deterioration in his mental state were 'not taken seriously enough'. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2001, Cauchi's dose of the antipsychotic, clozapine, was gradually titrated down by his private Toowoomba psychiatrist, Dr Andrea Boros-Lavak, over complaints of over-sedation. He was entirely weaned off it in 2018, and was taken off the drug prescribed for his obsessive compulsive disorder (Abilify) the following year. Shortly after his Abilify was stopped, Cauchi's mother, Michele raised concerns with Dr Boros-Lavak's clinic seven times between November 2019 and February 2020, ringing them, sending emails, and visiting in person to report a potential relapse. She reported her son may have been hearing voices, was leaving notes he was under 'satanic control', and his OCD was 'getting out of control'. Dr Boros-Lavak prescribed him Abilify in November 2019 as a precaution, but said in hindsight it wasn't necessary, chalking the symptoms up to concern over a risky sexual encounter he'd had. He did not fill the script. Dr Boros-Lavack told the court 'Michele is a beautiful, beautiful mother, but she is not a psychiatrist'. The psychiatrist discharged him from her care to a GP when Cauchi moved to Brisbane in March 2020: the referral letter was the subject of scrutiny for failing to mention Mrs Cauchi's concerns. Her concerns were also not mentioned in any further correspondence with other practitioners caring for Joel, including Dr C. Dr Boros-Lavack's lawyer at one stage lifted a massive binder before the court and questioned the likelihood of practitioners actually reading a referral containing a patient's entire medical history. The expert psychiatric panel ultimately agreed Dr Boros-Lavack's care did meet the accepted standards for private psychiatrists during that period, but there were 'shortcomings' in her handover. Cops' 'missed opportunity' year before attack Years later in 2023 Cauchi called police to his family's Toowoomba home, with body-worn video of the attending police officers revealing Cauchi had assaulted his father in a 'rage' after he confiscated his pigging knives. One of the officers said Cauchi had a 'real hard on for his knives' during the call out. Mrs Cauchi again expressed she was worried about her son, telling the officers she was unsure how to get him help 'unless he does something drastic'. Under the belief they had no powers to force Cauchi for an urgent assessment due to 'confusing' changes to the Emergency Examination Authority (EEA) criteria, the officers requested a follow-up for the Cauchi family. In what was agreed as an 'oversight' and 'missed opportunity', the email — like Cauchi — slipped through cracks and was missed, despite the court being told evidence painted a 'clear picture' he needed an emergency examination at some point in time. A better system for follow-up has since been put in place. By 2024, Cauchi was making notes on his phone to 'Call knife sharpener and confirm it doesn't need sharpening for mall use' and to 'Check out malls and also where to run'. Chillingly, he made searches related to the 1999 Columbine shooting in the US on the morning of the fatal attack. Evidence suggested Cauchi was a 'totally different' person while he was medicated. Control room operator not 'up to speed' The CCTV control room was unmonitored as Cauchi began his deadly rampage, as the operator, known as CR1, had gone to the bathroom just 40 seconds prior. Her colleague, CR2, was also out of the room, having been pulled out for training. International security expert Scott Wilson told the court CR1 obviously wasn't 'up to speed' in her role, with the court earlier told she was on the verge of being replaced and had been flagged for 'ongoing issues' on multiple occasions: retraining needed to be scheduled as she was responding too slow, notes made days before the attack stated. Former Glad Group project and training manager Andrew David denied suggestions he was directed to 'rush' CR1's training due to staffing pressures, telling the court 'there was pressure … I hope that didn't affect my training'. The delay in activating public announcements, alarms and messaging through the centre was also identified as an issue, with it accepted all actions should have been rolled out earlier and should have encouraged people to 'escape, hide, tell' rather than evacuate. A suite of measures have since been put in place at the centre, including an automated PA system. Confusion over whether the centre was a 'hot zone', and if there was a second offender, also highlighted the need for improved interagency communications between NSW Police and Ambulance. Crucially, it was generally accepted decisions made on the day of the attack didn't affect anyone's survivability, however it's important to learn for any future mass casualty event. Many families slammed the media's reporting of the tragedy, including Ms Young's mother, who was sickened at the suggestion some of the footage aired of her daughter and grieving family after the attack was newsworthy. Ms Singleton's mother, Julie, and fiance, Ashley Wildey, both reported they were upset to find Ms Singleton had been identified in media reports before they were allowed to formally identify her, with the mother 'still hoping at this point there had been some kind of horrible mistake'. She slammed reporters requesting comment, including by leaving notes in her mailbox, as 'intrusive', while Mr Wildey said the reporting of the attack caused 'immense and immeasurable pain' to his and Ms Singleton's families. Families of the victims specifically requested the media response, and the impact this had on them, be examined during the inquest. Tensions in court prompted gasps Bubbling tensions were brought to the surface over the five weeks, including one moment where Ms Sullivan reminded Mr David he was under oath during questions about CR1's training. The court was shown CR1's training competency checklist: each section was signed off and dated at January 31, 2024, which was in stark contrast to another checklist which showed sections signed off on different dates. Accepting he had signed off on CR1's training, he simultaneously denied any recollection of it, prompting Ms Sullivan to ask if he was doing his 'very best'. She told him 'there are families in court who would really like some answers'. Even NSW coroner Teresa O'Sullivan interjected, asking him if he knew at all what he was doing on the day in question. 'From the look of this document that you've signed, it looks like everything happened on 31 January 2024, which you say is impossible to have done that much training,' Ms O'Sullivan said. 'The reason we're asking is it's troubling to see this without an explanation from you … I take it that you're doing your very best to try and remember how it came to be that your signature is on this document?' Ms O'Sullivan pressed. Mr David maintained he couldn't recall despite doing his best, and later told the court he didn't remember issues with CR1's performance being raised with him. 'That's your evidence on oath?' Ms Sullivan asked. He agreed. The court was told CR1's training could have been undertaken over a period of time, and simply signed off all at once. Cauchi's psychiatrist also sparked a collective gasp from the room of journalists when she claimed his attack had 'nothing to do with psychosis'. 'I think it might have been due to his frustration, sexual frustration, pornography, and hatred towards women,' Dr Boros-Lavack told the court. Almost equally shocking was Dr Dwyer's subsequent suggestion that Dr Boros-Lavack's refusal to accept Cauchi was psychotic on April 13 was 'because you don't want to accept yourself the failings in your care of Joel?' 'I did not fail in my care of Joel, and I refuse. I, I have no error on my behalf. That is my answer.' She withdrew the comment, branding it 'conjecture' the following day when questioned by lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC, who represented the Good, Singleton and Young families. Through her evidence, Dr Boros-Lavack was constantly asked to please listen to the question and not to interject.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Heartbroken mum becomes a recluse after daughter's death
Julie Singleton's heartbreaking statement to a coronial inquest has confirmed claims the mother-of-four has become a virtual recluse in her home, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, since her daughter died in a random attack at Bondi Junction 13 months ago. Friends of the lawyer say she has been held up in her home for over a year, rarely taking phone calls and, apart from regular appearances at the Westfield inquest, barely leaves the house. Sources say the grieving mother has, since her 25-year-old's daughter's tragic death, stopped leaving the house to shop for food and provisions and now has groceries and supplies delivered to her home to help avoid public scrutiny or contact. A second statement tendered to the inquest this week also contradicted media reports the soon-to-be married Dawn had been at Westfield Bondi Junction to shop for make-up for her upcoming wedding. Friends of the deceased have previously informed this column Dawn was set to have her makeup done by a professional on her wedding day, and had no need of wedding-day cosmetics. Having received a stern rebuke from Dawn's younger sister Daisy for granting an interview to 60 Minutes, Dawn's father John Singleton has taken a lower profile since the inquest began on April 28. INTERIM AVO DISMISSED A Sydney court has dismissed an interim AVO taken out on behalf of John Singleton's daughter Sally Singleton-Hawach. The matter was set to return to Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday. According to court records, the application was dismissed in the same court a week earlier. Ms Singleton-Hawach and her estranged husband Pierre Hawach fronted Parramatta Court on March 25 following an alleged domestic incident. It was the second time Ms Singleton-Hawach, executive producer of LAMP Music, singer and art therapist, and Hawach, a Parramatta divorce lawyer, have been before the courts. A similar order was applied for 2021 but withdrawn six months later after the couple, who had briefly separated, reconciled. The couple, who have three young children under eight, have now separated a second time after a decade of marriage The one-time society debutant is the second daughter of legendary adman Singleton and his third wife Belinda Green. She is also the half-sister of Dawn Singleton, the one-time media owner's daughter by his sixth wife, Julie. Dawn was one of six people fatally stabbed by Joel Cauchi at Westfield Bondi Junction last year. ABC GOES AFTER TOP FOODIES MasterChef Australia's three original judges – Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris – are in talks to reunite for a mystery television project. Six years after Preston, Mehigan and Calombaris last collaborated, executives at the ABC are hoping the three can be brought together to recreate the MasterChef magic in a new culinary program on the public broadcaster. Industry sources last week said the trio hoped the yet-to-be-greenlit program would relaunch their prime time television careers. Flamboyant food critic Preston and restaurateur/chefs Calombaris and Mehigan enjoyed 11 seasons as presenters and judges on MasterChef before the three made a pact in 2019 to jointly walk away from the Ten Network reality series if they couldn't extract a better deal. Industry claims, reported by your scribe at the time, had it the men had each demanded a million dollar contract from Ten. This was 18 months after the financially embattled network had been acquired by American media company CBS (later rebranded Paramount) after entering into voluntary administration in 2017. Despite the program's consistently high ratings, Ten refused the trio's demands and the presenters left the program. The following year Preston and Mehigan were signed to Seven's short-lived cooking show, Plate of Origin, alongside chef Manu Feildel. The program lasted just four weeks and was cancelled due to poor ratings however both would be invited to appear on the 2022 season of Seven's My Kitchen Rules. The two have remained regular collaborators and this year have joined forces to conduct food adventure tours in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as a tour of India. Meanwhile prior to and after his departure from MasterChef Calombaris was sunk in financial scandal after it emerged he had underpaid restaurant staff $7.83 million. Following the closure of his 21 restaurants his company went into voluntary administration. He eventually made his return to television in 2022 on Ten with a six-part docu-series entitled Hungry after working diligently to rehabilitate his career and reputation. All three men are said to be keen to re-establish the chemistry that made them household names from 2009 and to relaunch their on-screen partnership, even with the expected downsized ABC pay cuts. SEVEN'S POWER MOVE Departed Nine Network journalist Chris O'Keefe has received an approach from the Seven Network to return to television. Former Seven Perth news director Ray Kuka was only days into his new job as replacement for recently departed national news boss Anthony De Ceglie when Kuka started canvasing for an experienced hand to take the reins of his Sydney newsroom. The approach follows this column's revelation Seven's Sydney news director Sean Power, promoted under De Ceglie to move across from executive producer of Sunrise to run Seven's Sydney newsroom, is headed home to Melbourne. On Friday morning, the Seven Network released a statement confirming Power's move to Melbourne, while announcing him as the Network's new 'Director of News Integration and Strategy'. Current 7NEWS Sydney Executive Producer Geoff Dunn will step into the News Director, while revealing Gemma Acton - who was promoted to Director of News Operations - has quit the Network and will relocate with her family to Dubai 'for a new career opportunity'. O'Keefe, who was a reporter for Nine for over a decade before trying his hand at talk radio on Nine-owned Sydney station 2GB, quit the media, and Nine, at the end of last year. After announcing he was to start his own political advocacy business he surprised former colleagues by joining the Clean Energy Council as its national spokesman. According to our Seven sources, O'Keefe didn't hesitate in declining Kuka's offer leaving the Perth news veteran, another chairman's pick by Kerry Stokes or so we hear, to go hunting for a new contender. PAY PARITY TAKES BACKWARD STEP AT NINE The last word for the week must surely go to a report in The Australian earlier this week that Sarah Abo is earning $800k-a-year as co-anchor of Nine's Today show. The figure is roughly a quarter (or 28.5 per cent based on the lowest end of his estimate) of the salary currently being paid to her co-host Karl Stefanovic whose salary has been put at between $2.8 million and $3 million. Now this injustice should stick in the craw of Nine's news boss Fiona Dear, the first woman ever installed to run Nine's TV news division. If Dear (and Nine CEO Matt Stanton) has crunched the numbers, as indeed we have, the gender pay gap between the two Today co-hosts has grown since former anchor Lisa Wilkinson lost her job at Nine in 2017 for fighting hard – some have claimed too hard which we reckon is nonsense – to achieve pay parity with Stefanovic. While comedian and radio host Dave Hughes will always be a hero in our eyes for taking a pay cut in 2017 to ensure his co-host Kate Langbroek, who was on 40 per cent less, was given an equitable salary bump and even Kyle Sandilands insisted early in his radio partnership with Jackie 'O' that his 2DAYFM increase her salary from $80k to an equitable arrangement, it seems sexism is still king in television or at least in Nine's light news division.
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
The full timeline of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing as heard in the coronial inquest
It took six minutes for countless lives to be changed on April 13, 2024. Joel Cauchi entered Westfield Bondi Junction armed with a knife towards the tail end of the school holidays, a busy period for the shopping centre. WARNING: This story contains content that readers may find distressing. He killed six people — Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Yixuan Cheng, Ashlee Good, Faraz Tahir, and Pikria Darchia — five of whom died at the scene and one in hospital. Ten people were also stabbed but survived, before NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott fatally shot Cauchi after a tense foot pursuit. The NSW Coroners Court heard Cauchi was unmedicated for schizophrenia, and his web history showed he was "preoccupied with weapons, with violence and with mass killing" since 2022. The day will never leave the families of the victims, the witnesses, shoppers, retail staff, security, first responders, and members of the public simply in the area at the time. This is the complete chronology of how the attack happened, according to the coronial inquest that finished sitting after five weeks of hearings. A woman referred to as CR1 is the main operator inside the Westfield security control room beneath the shops, watching the centre's 706 CCTV cameras. Coming in and out throughout the day is a man known in court as CR2, who is rostered onto a "roving" shift. There are 15 security guards located throughout the centre at this time. At 2:55pm, CR2 leaves CR1 in the control room to attend a training session with Glad and Westfield operator, Scentre, in the management office above the retail stores. Cauchi had spent the day roaming Westfield, detouring to Bondi Beach before re-entering at 3:22pm. He walks across the air bridge on level 4 nine minutes later. CR1 leaves the security control room to use the bathroom, which is a few metres away from the door. The CCTV screens are now unmonitored. Forty seconds later, Cauchi stabs Dawn Singleton near Sourdough Bakery on level four. Cauchi moves a few metres south of the bakery and stabs Jade Young. He then attempts to stab a third victim, known as Witness C, outside AJE Athletica, now known as AJE Lifestyle. She retains minor scratches. Yixuan Cheng is stabbed six seconds later outside the Peter Alexander store, now the site of Stylerunner. Two more victims, known as Witness D and Witness E, are stabbed outside Cotton On and Lululemon, respectively. A second later, about 3:33:28pm, security guards Muhammad Taha and Faraz Tahir are first alerted by customers of the attacks, and call it in via radio. The pair are also on a roving shift and are standing opposite Gucci and David Jones, also on the fourth level of the centre at the time. They begin heading south, walking close together, towards the air bridge and the bakery. Another security guard spots Cauchi from level five and is believed to have called a "Code Black, Alpha" on the radio before losing sight of Cauchi. Seventh victim Witness F is then stabbed outside of Kookai. Around the time that Witness G, the eighth victim, is stabbed just inside Myer, the team in the centre management office leave to verify the incident. CR1 hears a radio broadcast from the bathroom but cannot make out what is said before returning to the security control room. Ashlee Good is stabbed by Cauchi outside of the AJE Athletica store, followed by 10th victim Witness H. CR2 takes the lift down to the underground control room to support CR1. The first emergency call to NSW Ambulance is placed by a member of the public, as Cauchi runs back past the bakery, stabbing Mr Tahir and Mr Taha. Just before 3:35pm, he also attacks Witness I and the 14th victim Witness X before stabbing Pikria Darchia outside Chanel Boutique. The 16th and last person attacked, Liya Barko, is stabbed outside Zimmeran on level three at 3:35pm. NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott acknowledges the job on police radio while on the road. Two French civilians Silas Despreaux and Damien Guerot confront Cauchi on an escalator between level three and four, throwing bollards at him. At 3:36pm, CR1 dials triple-0, but the call does not connect. Cauchi had been active for about three minutes at the time of CR1's second attempt. She is put on hold for six minutes. At this point, CR2 is back in the control room and logs in to review CCTV and track Cauchi alongside CR1. Inspector Scott arrives outside the shopping centre on the corner of Oxford and Adelaide Streets. Mr Despreaux and Mr Guerot follow behind the police officer near Zara, and head up to level five where Cauchi is believed to be near Boost Juice. Inspector Scott tells NSW Police via radio she has "got eyes on him … towards Rebel, Myer, Harvey Norman". She is in "foot pursuit" of Cauchi along level five, reaching the air bridge near Priceline. He turns to face her and runs toward the officer. Inspector Scott shoots Cauchi three times at 3:38:40pm, with two of the bullets causing fatal injuries. A minute prior, CR2 activates the Centre Management Emergency Override system button. It triggers "EVAC ALL" displays to appear throughout the centre's screens at 3:39pm. The evacuation alarm sounds at 3:40pm. Senior ambulance and police officials arrive on the scene, and the topic of a second offender is discussed. At 3:45pm, the security control room says it is reviewing the CCTV and will confirm the number of suspects ASAP. Five minutes later, CR1 goes to the Fire Control Room to make a PA announcement for people to evacuate Westfield. CR2 confirms there was only one offender at 3:52pm, but a police helicopter advises of a person of interest on the rooftop car park at 4:08pm. Police broadcast about 20 minutes later that Cauchi is the sole offender. At 3:55pm, paramedics attend to Faraz Tahir. Emergency treatment takes place outside the centre at 4:15pm, but Mr Tahir dies soon after. It was his first shift at the shopping centre. The evacuation alarm stops ringing at 4:03pm. A multi-agency debrief is held at 5:30pm between police, ambulance and Westfield officials. An ambulance officer confirms eight people have been taken to hospital, including a baby, many with critical injuries. More than a year after the tragic day, Cauchi's acts and the systemic issues raised continue to devastate the victims' families and friends. Faraz Tahir was remembered as a hero who came from Pakistan in the hope of a better future. Yixuan Cheng, also known as Josie, was studying a Master's degree at the University of Sydney and celebrating after an exam. Pikria Darchia was an artist from Georgia who enjoyed painting landscapes and "cared deeply" about her sons' health and happiness. Jade Young, named by her grandparents, was a "gentle" and "kind-hearted" architect who adored her family and dog, Teddy. Ashlee Good was a new mother and fitness enthusiast who said in a video played to court that "being active is part of who I am". Dawn Singleton was a "private" person and remains loved deeply and fiercely by her friends, parents and partner. State Coroner Magistrate Teresa O'Sullivan said for loved ones, nothing would "take away their pain". "Their emotional fortitude … is a testament not only to their strength and courage, but to their unending love for those beautiful souls."
