Inquest findings into Bondi Westfield stabbing, Joel Cauchi’s mental state to be handed down
As families prepare for the release of inquest findings, the coroner will decide whether to refer the psychiatrist who treated Joel Cauchi before the fatal attack to a regulatory inquiry.
Dawn Singleton, Yizuan Cheng, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, Ashlee Good, Jade Young and Pikria Darchia were killed on April 13, 2024, in one of the worst massacres the country has ever seen.
Cauchi was “extremely psychotic” when he carried out his fatal attack at Westfield Bondi Junction in Sydney’s east before he was shot dead by Inspector Amy Scott.
Last year, as fifty witnesses were called to testify during a five-week criminal investigation into the tragedy, shocking details emerged, including allegations that the care provided by psychiatrist Andrea Boros-Lavack to treat Cauchi’s schizophrenia had failed.
Relatives of the victims, who were “traumatised” when the psychiatrist claimed Cauchi’s fatal attack “had nothing to do with psychosis” and instead stemmed from “hatred of women” and “sexual frustrations”, said Dr. He wants Boros-Lavack referred to a regulator for investigation.
Dr Boros-Lavack later retracted the statement and an expert psychiatric panel found that Cauchi, who was gradually weaned off all antipsychotic medication by the psychiatrist and the medication used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, was suffering from psychosis at the time of the murders.
A decision on referral for an inquest is expected to be made on Thursday, when NSW Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan announces the findings of the inquest.
Dr Boros’ Lavack’s interest in Cauchi has been investigated at length, with Cauchi’s mother Michele claiming that she was not taken seriously enough when she raised concerns about her son’s deteriorating mental health.
This included Michele saying Cauchi may have heard voices and left notes that he was under “demonic control”; None of this was mentioned in letters Cauchi wrote to his GP when he was discharged from the psychiatrist’s care in 2020, before moving to Brisbane.
Dr Boros-Lavack acknowledged there were “shortcomings” in Cauchi’s discharge.
Claims were also made in the final days of the investigation that lives could have been saved if the alarms had been sounded earlier and a more competent control room operator (CRO) had been available.
The need to improve inter-agency communication between NSW Police and Ambulance services was also flagged after confusion over whether the shopping center was a “hot spot” and whether there was a second offender.
Ms O’Sullivan will share her findings on Thursday.
