Joel Cauchi
Share and Follow

A general practitioner says he had no information about potential signs of a psychotic relapse for the man who ended up killing half a dozen people at a shopping centre.

Joel Cauchi, 40, killed six people and injured 10 others at Sydney’s Bondi Junction Westfield in April 2024 before being shot dead by police.

His regular Queensland GP Richard Grundy testified at an inquest into the tragedy today.

Joel Cauchi
Joel Cauchi, 40, was experiencing psychotic symptoms when he killed six people and injured 10 others at Sydney’s Bondi Junction Westfield in April 2024. (Supplied)

Grundy said he was not told about any concerns when Cauchi relocated from Toowoomba to Brisbane in early 2020.

“I had nothing,” he told the NSW Coroners Court.

Grundy said he would have attempted some sort of follow-up if he had been told about concerns raised by Cauchi’s mother with his private psychiatrist between October 2019 and February 2020.

These potential signs of relapse included a large number of notes being left around the house – some referring to satanic control – excessive obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an obsession with pornography, irritability and a strange gait.

In mid-2019, Cauchi had stopped taking two antipsychotics which had successfully treated his schizophrenia symptoms since he was a teenager.

Bondi Junction Westfield and streets surrounding continue to be locked down by police and ambulance services following an investigation into an attacker that involved multiple stabbing and shooting casualties, Saturday 13th of April 2024. Photo: Dion Georgopoulos / The Sydney Morning Herald (Dion Georgopoulos)

“I didn’t have any information – all those things that were discussed for some reason or another never came to me,” Grundy told the court by videolink from London.

On discharging Cauchi from her clinic in March 2020, his psychiatrist – who cannot be legally named – sent a letter to Grundy.

“Please recall Joel to discuss his options and referral to an alternative psychiatrist if required,” she wrote.

In earlier evidence given to the coroner, she insisted she had a lengthy phone conversation with Dr Grundy after sending this letter.

“I can take Joel back, I am the family GP, I know him very well and I will recall (him),” the GP told her, according to her evidence.

However today, he denied that this conversation took place, saying there was no record of it in his notes.

A psychiatrist who gave Cauchi a medical report supporting a gun licence also gave evidence to the court.

Flowers are placed outside Westfield Shopping mall in honour of the victims on April 16, 2024 in Bondi Junction. (Getty)

During a single one-hour session in Brisbane in January 2021, Cauchi denied any hallucinations or psychotic symptoms with the doctor reporting he had a “stable mood”.

He told the court he had sought collateral information from private and public health systems in Toowoomba to confirm what he had been told.

He was unable to get details from Cauchi’s mother, saying he had only consented that they be contacted in an emergency.

The doctor admitted that inconsistencies he was told about the length of time Cauchi had taken antipsychotics could have been a “red flag”.

A medical report was eventually supplied to Queensland Police which eventually provided Cauchi with a statement of eligibility to get a gun licence.

However, he did not follow through with obtaining the licence itself.

Cauchi was transferred from the public to private health sectors in 2012 when he formed a plan with his psychiatrist to decrease his medication.

By mid-2019, he was completely off the antipsychotics and he became detached from the mental health system early the following year after moving to Brisbane.

Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyond blue on 1300 22 4636.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Grant Brown Hawthorn Melbourne Victoria Australia

Melbourne homeowner chases down, restrains alleged home invader in underwear

A Melbourne man dressed in just his underwear has described how he…

‘Tip of the iceberg’: Human trafficking reports in Australia reach all-time high

Forced removal and modern slavery reports have doubled, lifting Australian human trafficking…

Patty Mills joins Brisbane 2032 Olympic Advisory Board

Five-time Olympian and Australian basketball legend Patty Mills has been announced as…
A designer Bulgari gold diamond necklace worth $11k as well as other pricey jewellery is up for grabs as part of an auction of lost property found at an Australia airport.

Necklace worth $11k, plane seats and Ansett lifejacket up for grabs at airport auction

A designer Bulgari gold diamond necklace worth $11,000 and other pricey jewellery…
YouTube cites Troye Sivan as reason for exemption from social media ban

YouTube cites Troye Sivan as reason for exemption from social media ban

Google has claimed Australia’s impending social media ban for kids under 16…

Madagascar coup: Anti-government protesters install new army chief

A Madagascar army unit siding with anti-government protesters installed a new military…

Donald Trump softens tone on China after tariff tensions flare

After a bout of trade tensions between the United States and China…

I asked a mortgage broker what the median first home buyer can get with a 5% deposit

For the past week, mortgage broker Damian Wallace has been fielding double…