Probe resumes into 'missed opportunity' to treat Bondi killer
Share this @internewscast.com

While police officers knew of a killer’s mental decline in the years before he launched an unprovoked shopping mall attack, oversights and missteps meant he did not get the treatment he required.

Joel Cauchi, 40, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teen and was experiencing psychotic symptoms when he killed six people and injured 10 at Sydney‘s Westfield Bondi Junction in April 2024.
An inquest has been told Queensland police had a number of chances that could have been used to reconnect him to the mental health system.
Joel Cauchi had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager.
Joel Cauchi had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager. (Supplied)

Cauchi, who was shot dead by police during his stabbing rampage, had stopped taking his medication in 2019 and ceased seeing a psychiatrist in 2020.

In the years after that, Cauchi had numerous interactions with Queensland police, including at his parents’ home in Toowoomba in January 2023.

At that call-out, he accused his father Andrew of stealing his collection of knives, telling attending officers that they had to be returned or he would become bankrupt or homeless.

From left: Ashlee Good, 38, Faraz Tahir, 30, Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, and Yixuan Cheng, 27.
From left: Ashlee Good, 38, Faraz Tahir, 30, Dawn Singleton, 25, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, and Yixuan Cheng, 27. (Supplied)

That moment has been described by an expert psychiatrist who will give evidence at the inquest as a “missed opportunity”.

While a follow-up visit to the Cauchi family home was requested, the state’s police mental health incident co-ordinator saw the email but forgot to action it due to an “oversight”.

The coroners court has also heard that in May 2021, police were called to Cauchi’s unit in Brisbane after residents heard a man screaming and the sound of someone being hit.

Crowds of panicked shoppers streamed from the shopping centre as Cauchi attacked.
Crowds of panicked shoppers streamed from the shopping centre as Cauchi attacked. (Dion Georgopoulos)

He told attending officers that he had been slamming his fridge.

Cauchi was also pulled over three times in 2020 and 2021 by highway patrol police for erratic driving, the court heard.

The coroner will hear further evidence today about what Queensland police could have done to make sure Cauchi was able to receive the treatment he required.

Witnesses include a police officer working as a mental health intervention staff member in Toowoomba and the wider Darling Downs region.

Inspector Bernard Quinlan, manager of the Queensland police force’s vulnerable persons group, will also take the stand.

Support is available at Lifeline 13 11 14 or beyondblue 1300 22 4636.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

Original ‘Gone Girl’ Sherri Papini’s Strange Reversal: Insists on Kidnapping Story After Serving Time for Fake Abduction

Sherri Papini was jailed for admitting that her supposed 2016 kidnapping was…

Driver Fatally Hits Pedestrian, Drags Body off the Road

Inset: Kenyan Roshad Warren (Knox County DA). Background: The intersection where Warren…

“Individual Who Threatened Judge and Attorney General in Trump Case Enters Plea”

Left: New York Attorney General Letitia James addresses the press, Nov. 6,…

Nurse Alters Plea in Unauthorized Foot Amputation Case

Background: Spring Valley Senior Living and Healthcare Campus in Spring Valley, Wisconsin…

Trump Administration Files Lawsuit Against California Over Increased Egg Prices

Left: President Donald Trump addresses a lunch gathering with African leaders in…

Trump Assassination Suspect Declares: ‘I Will Act as My Own Lawyer’

Left: Ryan Wesley Routh (Law&Crime). Center: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon (U.S.…

Man Arrested in Connection with New York Child Sexual Battery Case

Staff report from Gainesville Police Department social media post GAINESVILLE, Fla. –…

Authorities Report: Man Fatally Suffocates Mother by Applying Pressure on Her Neck

A South Dakota man murdered his own mother and then decapitated her,…

Authorities Report Man Puts 3-Year-Old Girl into Coma Over Potty Training Dispute

The home where Amber Lee Leary”s daughter was allegedly beaten on June…

Tool Theft Suspect Faces Charges After Police Discover $100,000 in Stolen Items

An alleged tool thief has been charged after police raided a home…

Intoxicated Oklahoma Woman Falls Asleep and Accidentally Suffocates Newborn Twin After Consuming White Claw Seltzers: Authorities

An Oklahoma woman is facing charges after police say she fell asleep…

Police Report: Man Allegedly Robs Friend Over PlayStation Purchase

Background: Bodycam footage of Nicholas Flores being arrested (Lee County Sheriff”s Office).…