The findings from the inquest into the 2024 stabbing attack at Westfield Bondi Junction have been revealed, with a slew of recommendations put forward in the wake of the tragedy.
The inquest, headed by coroner Teresa O’Sullivan, was launched just days after Joel Cauchi stabbed 16 people and left six of them dead during an attack in the eastern Sydney shopping centre in April, 2024.
“His attacks were a quintessential example of an active armed offender – rapid, unpredictable, and fatal within a very short period of time,” O’Sullivan said when handing down her findings earlier today, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
The key recommendations included a push for the government to house and care for mentally unwell people, the referral of Cauchi’s psychiatrist to the watchdog, and calls for bravery awards for the heroism displayed by police, victims and witnesses to the tragedy.
On the latter point, O’Sullivan commended NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott for her bravery in shooting Cauchi dead during the attack, saying the officer was “extraordinary, calm, skilful and courageous” and displayed “actions which clearly saved lives”.
The inquest also looked into the role of Cauchi’s psychiatrist Andrea Boros-Lavack, finding she made no error in weaning him off his medication in 2019 but did fail to properly re-treat him when his symptoms returned.
“It was ultimately a major failing that [Boros-Lavack] revised her view and did not do more to proactively urge Mr Cauchi to resume his medication,” O’Sullivan said.
Cauchi relapsed into psychosis some time after Boros-Lavack changed his diagnosis, with his mother raising the alarm about his behaviour to the psychiatrist seven times before the stabbing attack.
From that finding, O’Sullivan recommended the Health Ombudsman of Queensland, Cauchi’s home state, review Boros-Lavack’s treatment of him.
O’Sullivan’s main findings centred around the broader issue of an underfunded and fractured mental health system, which played a role in Cauchi being able to carry out the attack.
Establishing short-term Sydney accommodation for people with mental illness, improving outreach services that could’ve helped people like Cauchi and updating of guidelines around the management of psychrophrenia were among the recommendations for the mental health sector.
“This impacts upon all of the community — first responders, the health system and the population at large,” O’Sullivan said.
Among others, O’Sullivan recommended bravery awards be given to Scott as well as Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux — who confronted Cauchi with bollards — and Ashlee Good, who was fatally wounded protecting her baby during the attack.
“My recommendations are intended to achieve practical, meaningful and lasting reform in respect of critical areas of urgent need,” O’Sullivan said.
Lead images: Getty Images
The post Bondi Junction Stabbing Inquest Spotlights Psychiatrist’s ‘Failings’ & Police’s Heroism appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
