An inquest into the siege that took place in Sydney’s Martin Place in December has revealed further details surrounding the deaths of hostages Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson.
The inquest heard that hostage Tori Johnson was forced to kneel before being shot in the back of the head by gunman Man Haron Monis, triggering the police assault.
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The Counsel assisting the NSW Coroner, Jeremy Gormly, SC, said a police sniper witnessed Monis fire his sawn-off shotgun into the back of the café manager’s head from a short range of about 75cm at 2.14am.
This shooting triggered the full response from the police tactical team, which breached the café’s main door seconds later.
The identities of two of the police snipers or “marksmen” involved in the siege will not be revealed.
The inquest found that fatally-wounded-hostage, barrister Katrina Dawson was struck by six fragments of police bullets after they ricocheted off hard surfaces, with one striking a major blood vessel. Shortly afterwards, she lost consciousness and died.
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The inquest also heard that Monis was struck twice in the head and 11 times in the chest, returning fire at police twice.
Monis failed however to hit any of the approaching tactical officers or the hostages.
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The inquest found that police fired a total of 22 rounds into the café as they stormed through the front doors, following a bombardment of stun grenades.
The new details were revealed at the inquest which began today in the NSW Coroner’s Court.
The inquest aims to investigate the details of the events that took place during the ‘Sydney siege’ at the Lindt café in Martin Place, which came to an end in the early hours of December 16th.
It was confirmed that Katrina, 38, and Tori, 34, were killed following the siege, along with Monis.
Upon opening the inquest, State Coroner Michael Barnes reminded all involved that they must remain dispassionate and objective.
“We will need to rely on our reason and keep our emotions in check,” he said.
“The desire for urgent answers must be weighed against the time it takes to make sure the evidence is the best available.”
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Mr Gormly revealed that while there was no CCTV footage from inside the café, there was footage from surrounding buildings as well as sound recordings, Facebook pages and phone calls – including over 300 phone calls to the 000 emergency line made during the 16-hour siege.
“There are hundreds of hours of material and it all has to be sifted,” he said.
The inquest has been adjourned until a later date, yet to be determined.
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