Inquest into Bondi Westfield Stabbing: Security and Paramedic Issues Revealed

An inquest into the fatal stabbing at Westfield Bondi Junction has revealed critical failures in both security and emergency response on the day of the attack. 

Last year, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi stabbed and killed six people and injured a further twelve in the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre. Dawn Singleton, Yixuan Cheng, Faraz Ahmed Tahir, Ashlee Good, Jade Young and Pikria Darchia all died in the incident. 

Cauchi was shot dead by Police Inspector Amy Scott minutes after the attacks began, and received the Commissioner’s Valour Award for her act of heroism at the Westfield Bondi tragedy.

Inspector Scott told the inquiry last week  that she felt “nauseous” when she ran in because in her head, she had already “resigned myself to the fact that I was probably going to die”. 

The hearing, which is scheduled to run until May 30, heard from more witnesses this week including the Bondi Junction security supervisor and one of the first responders on the day of the attack. 

The Bondi Junction Westfield security supervisor reflected on how the situation had been handled, stating that he “wished” they had done more to inform customers earlier. 

Competency Concerns Over Bondi Westfield CCTV Operator 

According to the hearing, the staff member responsible for monitoring over 700 CCTV cameras and issuing announcements on the day of the fatal stabbing attacks, was new to the role and undergoing retraining due to concerns about her competence. 

The security supervisor was questioned about approving her induction despite her failing key assessments twice, with inquiries also focused on staffing pressures. 

“I wish we did better, I wish we did different,” the supervisor told the inquest. 

The first alarm warning of an armed offender sounded 20 minutes after Cauchi stabbed the first of his victims. 

“Was there pressure for staffing and recruitment at Westfield Bondi… Absolutely. But I was never directed to rush her training”, the security trainer said, as reported by ABC News. 

Only two of the security guards who were working that day have returned to work full-time. 

The security supervisor read a note to his team during the inquest, stating, “I know some of you are still carrying the weight of that day and life hasn’t been the same since”. 

“I see your strength, I recognise your pain, I’m truly grateful to every single one of you, I thank you for being there with me,” the guard said. 

Paramedic Breaks Down in Court Over Delayed Response Amid Conflicting Stabbing Reports

Meanwhile, the first paramedic to enter Westfield Bondi Junction after the stabbing broke down in court as he described the emotional and chaotic scene. 

Inspector Brett Simpson, who was the forward commander on the day, broke down in tears while sitting in court on Friday. 

He recounted being initially told there was a slim chance of a second offender, when he first arrived on scene around 3:42pm, but chose to enter the shopping centre anyway in a bid to reach the critically ill patients immediately. 

However, by 4:01 pm, conflicting reports suggested the possibility of a second offender, causing confusion and delays in the response. 

The paramedic explained that the miscommunication and rapidly changing information made the situation even more challenging for emergency services. 

“I started to panic because I thought that I put my staff in quite significant danger,” he said, tearing up.

“A lot of them are my friends, so that was a very difficult moment,” Inspector Simpson told the inquest. 

Paramedic Thanks Team For Working Well Under Pressure During Bondi Stabbing

He thanked paramedics, stating, “They were frightened, we were all frightened, but they did not hesitate, they did not question my orders … my directives, they knew that what they were going into was a very serious incident”, as reported by news.com.au. 

“My discomfort is quite minimal compared to people who lost family and loved ones on that day, but it has not been an easy 12 months,” Inspector Simpson said.

Inspector Simpson acknowledged that implementing a 10-second triage, which allows for the rapid triage of patients, could have been useful on the day. 

The court was told about the system using the term “category silver” rather than deceased for first responders on scene.

“I wouldn’t say that it was a problem, it was definitely a factor in that our crews are very well trained but in a situation like that when their bandwidth is completely and wholly exceeded by the environment they’re in, some of them potentially may not have felt comfortable in making that declaration (of deceased),” Inspector Simpson said.

The Bondi Junction Hearing will run until Friday 30 May 2025 and will primarily be held in open court, meaning members of the public may attend the proceedings. 

The hearing will generally run from 10am to 4pm daily.