Sydney Siege hostage Elly Chen runs from the Lindt Chocolate cafe in Martin Place, Sydney. Photo / AAP file
Sydney Siege hostage Elly Chen runs from the Lindt Chocolate cafe in Martin Place, Sydney. Photo / AAP file
Terrorist Man Haron Monis alone was responsible for the deaths and injuries at the Lindt Cafe siege, not police, New South Wales Coroner Michael Barnes has found.
"I cannot stress too heavily that the deaths and injuries that occurred as a result of the siege were not the fault ofthe police," Barnes said today in his findings into the December 2014 siege that ended in the deaths of two hostages, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.
"All of the blame for those rest [with] Man Haron Monis.
"He created the intensely dangerous situation, he maliciously executed Tori Johnson, he barricaded himself into a corner of the cafe and his actions or police to enter the cafe in circumstances where the risk of hostages being wounded or killed was very high."
The coroner said the frontline police officers who smashed their way into the cafe after 2am on December 16 knew Monis was armed with a gun he would almost certainly use against them.
They also thought - wrongly as it turned out - that he was carrying a bomb that would kill everyone in the cafe unless they could kill him before he detonated it.
"The bravery of these officers inspires all," Barnes said.
The coroner noted, however, that commanding officers came under intense scrutiny during the 23-week inquest.
He acknowledged "the burden of command they carried" knowing the dangers they were requiring their subordinates to confront when they went into the cafe.
"Opinions may differ as to whether they made the best decisions, but no-one could reasonably accuse them of shirking their duty," Barnes said in Sydney.
Barnes said an eminent international expert told the inquest the Lindt Cafe siege "would have challenged any police force in the world".
"I readily accept that view," Barnes said.
Sheikh Man Haron Monis, the gunman. Photo / AAP
"Man Monis, initiated an extremely dangerous situation, every conceivable police response to the situation involved risk to the lives of the officers and to the hostages."
He said for the NSW police force, "the challenge was greatly increased the fact that this was the first terrorism-related siege in Australia".
He added: "Training and exercising cannot completely equip any organisation to respond to a novel threat."
Barnes said deficiencies in plans and procedures can easily go unrecognised until the hard test of reality "rings to light".
Cafe manager Tori Johnson and Sydney barrister Katrina Dawson were killed as the Martin Place stand-off came to a horrific end in the early hours of December 16 after 17 hours.
Monis was shot by specialist police who stormed after Johnson was killed. Dawson was fatally wounded after being hit by police bullet fragments.
