Tori Johnson was singled out for suspicion by gunman Man Haron Monis and had opportunities to escape the Lindt cafe but showed “amazing bravery” by staying, an inquest has heard.
Julie Taylor, who was pregnant at the time of the December 2014 siege, broke down telling a coronial inquest about the calm and bravery shown by Johnson, who Monis killed in the final minutes of the 16-hour standoff.
“Tori was what I would describe as a model citizen,” she said. “I believe he could’ve got himself out of the cafe safely and I admire he didn’t do that. He must have had enormous strength of character not to have taken those opportunities.”
She said the gunman had kept a “special eye” on Johnson, the manager of the cafe.
“I think he probably thought Tori was a risk in the sense he could get out if he wanted to,” she said. “I’m sure that it must have been terrifying for him but he didn’t really show it.”
Taylor was one of three hostages, including Katrina Dawson, who Monis described as “nice” and offered to release a short time into the siege. She said they approached the exit of the cafe before Monis appeared to change his mind, telling them: “Stop. Put your hands up.”
She feared that if they made a run for it “he was going to shoot us in the back”, soon resolving not to flee because “I couldn’t live with someone being shot because of our escape”, she said.
Dawson was accidentally shot and killed by police when they stormed the cafe at 2.16 the next morning.
Taylor, a barrister, said after Monis discovered she was pregnant he starting using her and another hostage he believed was expecting as human shields.
“He asked me about my religion – he was particularly suspicious I might be Jewish,” she said.
Monis had insisted throughout the standoff that he was acting on behalf of Islamic State, growing frustrated when the media reported the black flag he was brandishing was actually a generic Muslim flag, rather than one belonging to the militia.
“He said: ‘You don’t have to have an Isis flag to be involved with Isis. It doesn’t work like that. You don’t have to be a member. If you say you support Isis, and you work for its cause, then you’re a part of Isis,’” Taylor said.
Hostages also asked Monis why he was threatening innocent people. “Well there’s civilians being killed in Syria and it’s not their fault either,” she recalled him saying.
