It took just three minutes for Joel Cauchi to fatally stab six people and injure 10 more during a rampage at a popular Sydney shopping centre, an inquest into the attack has been told.
The New South Wales Coroner’s Court heard on Tuesday that Cauchi, 40, was mentally ill and homeless at the time of the incident, and had come off his medication for schizophrenia, prompting his parents to confiscate his hunting knives.
The inquiry also heard that no alarm sounded inside the centre until after Cauchi had been shot dead by police.
The incident on 13 April devastated Australia, where mass murder is rare, and prompted a national conversation about gendered violence.
All up, 14 of the 17 people stabbed that day were female – including five of the six who were killed, and a nine-month-old baby. The NSW police commissioner said at the time that it was “obvious” Cauchi had targeted women.
Tuesday’s hearing laid out the areas of focus for an extensive inquiry which is due to begin in full in April 2025. The investigation will look into possible security lapses and failings in the mental health systems in NSW and Queensland, Cauchi’s home state.
Speaking in court, Dr Peggy Dwyer SC, the counsel assisting the coroner, said Cauchi had been off his psychotropic medication since 2019, despite authorities being repeatedly warned of his deteriorating state. Cauchi had come “to the attention” of Queensland police several times, she said.
In her statement, Dwyer also provided the first detailed timeline of how the violence actually unfolded in Bondi that day.
She said that Cauchi – who had been sleeping rough in the suburb of Maroubra on the morning of the attack – entered Westfield shopping centre around 15.30 (local), and began stabbing people roughly three minutes later, after removing his knife in line at a bakery.
His first victim was Dawn Singleton, 25, followed by 47-year-old Jade Young and 25-year-old Yixuan Cheng. He then attacked Ashlee Good, 38, from behind.
Good – who has been described by her family as an “all-round outstanding human” – then saw Cauchi stabbing her nine-month-old baby girl in her pram, and was further wounded trying to save the child’s life, the court heard.
Faraz Tahir, a 30-year-old security guard, was stabbed next, 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 Insp Amy Scott, who had been on duty close by. Between the moment Scott arrived and the moment she killed Cauchi just over a minute had passed, the court heard.
In total, the attack lasted for five minutes and 43 seconds – yet no alarm sounded during that time.
“It’s presently unclear why it took so long for the alarm to sound,” Dwyer said.
Before opening the hearing, state coroner Teresa O’Sullivan acknowledged the pain and loss the broader 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 can’t be here in person,” she told the court, according to the Guardian Australia.
“It’s important to me and my assisting team… that you feel safe, you feel heard and you feel cared for throughout this proceeding.”
