Answers from the inquest into the deadly mass stabbing at a shopping mall will be handed down next year out of respect for the victims of a fresh massacre in the same area of Sydney.
NSW State Coroner Teresa O’Sullivan presided over a five-week inquest earlier this year which probed the circumstances surrounding the deadly attack on April 13, 2024.
She heard Joel Cauchi, 40, had been experiencing psychotic symptoms and was armed with a knife when he killed six people and injured 10 others, including a nine-month-old baby.
Members of the public pay their respects at the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre during a day of reflection on April 18, 2024. (Dion Georgopoulos – Pool/Getty Images)
O’Sullivan intended to hand down her findings and make recommendations for change before the end of the year, but she decided to delay the delivery in deference to the victims of an even more recent massacre.
“After consulting with the families of the victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction tragedy, and out of respect for the victims of the devastating events at Bondi Beach … the Bondi Junction inquest findings will now be delivered on 5 February 2026,” a statement from the coroner read.
“The state coroner extends her deepest condolences to all those impacted by these tragic events.”
NSW police tape surrounds the entrance to Westfield Bondi Junction on Oxford Street on April 13, 2024. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)
The gunmen, a father and son, were both shot by police but only the younger man survived.
He remains under police guard in hospital.
It is the worst modern-day mass shooting since 35 people were killed in the infamous Port Arthur Massacre in 1996, and the deadliest antisemitic act in Australia’s history.
It came less than two years after Cauchi stabbed more than a dozen people during a rampage at the Westfield shopping mall in Bondi Junction, the suburb next to the beach.
Dawn Singleton, 25, Ashlee Good, 38, Jade Young, 47, Pikria Darchia, 55, Yixuan Cheng, 27 and security guard Faraz Tahir, 30, died before Cauchi was fatally shot by Inspector Amy Scott.
If you have been impacted by the terror attack in Bondi there is support available.
To contact Lifeline Australia, call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14. For people under 25 years old, you can contact Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800. Both of these are available on a 24/7 basis. If you wish to donate blood, you can find your nearest donor centre here.
