Joel Cauchi took just three minutes to fatally stab six people and wound ten others at a Sydney shopping center, a coroner’s inquest heard Tuesday, revealing critical security failures and mental health oversights that preceded the April 13 tragedy.
The New South Wales Coroner’s Court learned that Cauchi, 40, who targeted predominantly female victims, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia but stopped taking medication in 2019. Despite repeated warnings to Queensland authorities about his deteriorating condition, he was homeless and had developed an obsession with knives before the attack.
Dr. Peggy Dwyer SC, counsel assisting the coroner, detailed how Cauchi entered Westfield shopping centre at 3:30 p.m. and began his rampage after drawing a knife while waiting in a bakery line. His victims included Dawn Singleton, 25; Jade Young, 47; Yixuan Cheng, 25; Ashlee Good, 38, who was wounded trying to protect her stabbed nine-month-old baby; security guard Faraz Tahir, 30; and Pikria Darchia, 55.
“It’s presently unclear why it took so long for the alarm to sound,” Dwyer said, noting no alert was raised during the five-minute, 43-second attack. Police Inspector Amy Scott shot and killed Cauchi within a minute of arriving on scene.
The inquiry, set for full hearings in April 2025, will investigate potential security lapses and failures in both New South Wales and Queensland mental health systems. Fourteen of the 16 victims were female, leading NSW police commissioner to conclude Cauchi had “obviously” targeted women.
State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan opened the hearing by acknowledging the community’s ongoing trauma. “It’s important to me and my assisting team… that you feel safe, you feel heard and you feel cared for throughout this proceeding,” she told victims’ families.
The attack has sparked national discussions about gendered violence in Australia, where mass murders remain rare.
