Joel Cauchi
Share and Follow

A psychiatrist’s decision to stop Joel Cauchi’s medication will be scrutinised by a coronial inquest into the stabbing spree he carried out years later.

Cauchi was experiencing psychotic symptoms in April 2024 when he fatally stabbed six shoppers at Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction and injured 10 others.

As an inquest into the rampage continues today, the Queensland psychiatrist who had previously treated Cauchi will step into the witness box.

Joel Cauchi
Joel Cauchi, 40, is the man who carried out a deadly stabbing spree at Westfield in Bondi. (Supplied)

She will be asked about why she stopped his anti-psychotics and whether more could have been done after Cauchi’s mother later raised concerns about a decline in her son’s mental health.

Cauchi had been diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teen but was successfully treated for decades.

However he ceased taking his medication in mid-2019.

Police block a street near a crime scene at Bondi Junction in Sydney, Sunday, April 14, 2024, after several people were stabbed to death at a shopping center Saturday. Police have identified Joel Cauchi, 40, as the assailant that stabbed several people to death at a busy Sydney shopping center Saturday before he was fatally shot by a police officer. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The attack was carried out in April last year. (AP)

In the months after, a number of possible signs of relapse were known by those at the psychiatric clinic in Toowoomba, near Brisbane, the inquest heard.

Two nurses from the clinic have already given evidence about Cauchi’s treatment with both saying he did not present with any serious symptoms during appointments.

His mother told them he was hearing voices, expressing sleeplessness, and experiencing extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A sea of flowers placed to pay tribute to the victims of the attack. (Getty)

While the nurses did initial consultations with Cauchi and sometimes his family, it was the psychiatrist who ultimately prescribed his medication and formed a treatment plan.

In early-2020 near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he moved to Brisbane.

While some attempt was made to arrange remote appointments, these were not covered by Medicare, the inquest heard.

A referral letter was sent to Cauchi’s GP but no follow-up was organised with mental health services in Brisbane.

His rampage at the Westfield shopping centre in 2024 was brought to an end after he was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Grim prediction as protest death toll surges

Shocking Surge: Unveiling the Alarming Rise in Protest-Related Fatalities

A US-based activist agency has verified at least 3766 deaths during a…
Suspected bull shark takes 15cm chunk out of boy's surfboard day after teen mauled

Teen Surfer’s Board Damaged by Possible Bull Shark Attack, a Day After Another Incident

A suspected bull shark has bitten an 11-year-old boy’s surfboard on Sydney‘s…
Harry Triguboff, Gina Rinehart and Anthony Pratt.

New Report Reveals Australian Billionaires’ Wealth Increased by $600,000 Daily in 2025

A new report has found the average Australian billionaire saw their wealth…
Ater Good died after he was shot in a drive-by shooting in Fitzroy shortly after midnight on January 3.

Melbourne Teen Tragedy: Three Suspects Charged in Fatal Drive-By Shooting of 16-Year-Old

Three men have been charged with murder weeks after a teenage boy…

Fashion Icon Valentino Passes at 93: Global Tributes Celebrate the Legacy of a Design Maestro

Italian designer Valentino Garavani, whose luxurious dresses adorned some of the world’s…
Sydney private school headmaster steps down after secret courtroom deal

Sydney School Headmaster Resigns Following Confidential Court Settlement

The headmaster of an elite boys’ school in Sydney, known for its…
A man was rescued from the Pillars in Mount Martha yesterday.

Urgent Call for Caution Following Three Cliff Rescues in Victoria Over Three Days

Lifesavers have issued a renewed safety reminder after three people were seriously…

Malinauskas Pressures Adelaide Festival Board: Unveiling the Controversy Surrounding Abdel-Fattah’s Involvement

A letter South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas sent to the Adelaide Festival…