Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson named as victims in Sydney siege
Dawson, a 38-year-old barrister and mother of three children, and Johnson, the 34-year-old manager of the Lindt cafe, were killed after being taken hostage in the attack
THE GUARDIAN
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Police have named the two victims in the cafe siege as barrister Katrina Dawson, 38, and 34-year-old Tori Johnson, who managed the Lindt cafe. Both are from Sydney.
Johnson had worked at the Lindt cafe for more than two years, and had previously worked in other cafes in Sydney and in the US, according to a report in the SMH. He had worked at the Martin Place cafe since 2012.
His LinkedIn profile shows he moved back to Australia in 2004 after a three-year stint overseas, working at hotels in the US and the Maldives.
He studied hospitality business management at Washington State University in 2002 and 2003, and held a diploma of hotel management.
Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, was with fellow barrister Julie Taylor buying a coffee in the Lindt cafe when the gunman attacked.
Taylor and Dawson practised in the Eight Selborne chambers not far from the Lindt cafe.
Three members of chambers were held hostage in the cafe, according to a statement from the New South Wales Bar Association early on Tuesday. It is believed Taylor was forced to appear in one of the propaganda videos made by the gunman during the siege. The videos were released onto social media early on Tuesday.
Dawson was a highly regarded commercial barrister whose areas of practise included banking and insolvency law, commercial competition and consumer law, Corporations Law, Equity and Property.
She was the sister of prominent media barrister Sandy Dawson, and the daughter of McKinsey executive and a sculptor. Dawson recently represented Joe Hockey in his defamation case against Fairfax Media.
The high-flier completed a law degree at the University of Sydney and a Masters in law at the University of NSW.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Dawson had three children aged under 10 – two girls and a boy. The youngest, a girl, is four years old.
Dawson attended Ascham – a girl’s private school in Sydney’s east. She topped the state in the Higher School Certificate in 1994, with a TER of 100, and topped her bar exams, according to reports in Fairfax Media.
The NSW Bar Association this morning released a statement: “It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that I must inform members of the New South Wales Bar Association that Katrina Dawson, of 8 Selborne Chambers, passed away in the early hours of this morning. Katrina, together with two other members of the NSW Bar, were held as hostages during the incident at the Lindt Cafe in Phillip Street, Sydney, yesterday.
“Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends at the NSW Bar. She was a devoted mother of three children, and a valued member of her floor and of our bar community. Our thoughts are with her family at this time, including her brother, Sandy Dawson of Banco Chambers.”
Jane Needham, SC of the NSW Bar Association also added in her statement that counselling is available for affected colleagues.
Lindt CEO Ernst Tanner released a statement this morning, expressing his “deepest sympathy to the victims and their families”.
“In these difficult times we all need to stand together in order to defend the values of freedom, peace and tolerance,” he said
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/10/00/major-police-operation-in-sydneys-martin-place#BXBZ9JCaeuX56oZd.99
Mother and cafe manager confirmed dead as hero tale emerges in Martin Place siege
Watch 9news.com.au’s live coverage
A Sydney mother and a man who desperately attempted to wrestle the shotgun out of gunman Man Haron Monis' hands have been identified as the two hostages killed during this morning's tragic Martin Place siege.
The pair, along with Monis, are dead after heavily-armed police with riot shields and assault weapons stormed the Lindt cafe at the centre of a day-long siege at Martin Place in the early hours of the morning.
Barrister Katrina Dawson, 38, died of a heart attack on the way to hospital after police stormed the cafe about 2am.
Barrister Katrina Dawson. (Supplied)
The cafe's manager, 34-year-old Tori Johnson, reportedly died of a gunshot wound after attempting to wrestle the sawn-off shotgun from the gunman's hands after he began to doze off.
Cafe manager Tori Johnson was reportedly killed after trying to wrestle the shotgun away from the gunman. Supplied)
Monis, 50, is believed to have opened fire after the altercation, forcing police to respond by storming the building, firing live rounds and throwing stun grenades.
Dawson and Johnson were among 17 people held hostage for almost a day by Monis.
Five of the hostages were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries suffered during the gunfight.
December 16, 2014: Police have stormed in Lindt Café in Martin Place, with loud and heavy gunfire being observed.
- A 75-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and is now in a stable condition.
- A 52-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the foot and is now in a stable condition.
- A 43-year-old woman suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and is in a stable condition.
- Two pregnant woman, aged 35 and 30 respectively, were assessed for "health and welfare purposes" and are now in a stable condition.
- A 39-year-old police officer, believed to be a sergeant, suffered minor facial injures from shotgun pellets. He was treated at hospital and discharged.
Sheik Man Haron Monis has been named as the gunman. (AAP)
Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said police stormed the cafe after hearing "a number of gunshots from inside".
December 16, 2014: Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has said that gunshots heard inside the premises caused police to enter.
"To the people of Sydney, this was an isolated incident… it was an act of an individual and should not change how we go about our business," Commissioner Scipione told reporters this morning.
He praised the hostages for their courage during the ordeal.
"They were just buying a cup of coffee and got caught up in this affair... they were caught up in this room and needed to make hard decisions," he said.
He also confirmed no explosives were found inside the building, despite some earlier reports.
Dawson was a well respected lawyer who worked for a firm on Phillip Street and had dropped into the cafe to grab a coffee before starting work yesterday.
Night falls over Martin Place, as a captor holds hostages at gunpoint. (9NEWS)
A hostage is seen going to the front door of the Lindt cafe to switch off the lights. (Getty)
The NSW Bar Association has paid tribute to Dawson.
"Katrina was one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends of the NSW Bar," association president Jane Needham SC said in a statement.
"She was a devoted mother of three children and a valued member of her floor and of our community."
She also topped her bar exams and is the sister of well-known media barrister Sandy Dawson.
Johnson, who was fatally wounded at the scene after attempting to grab the weapon off a dozing Monis, had worked at the Lindt Cafe for more than two years and had reportedly worked in the service industry in the US and Australia.
Two escapees from the Lindt cafe were reportedly shaken by the ordeal. (Nine)
An image of a man at the centre of the hostage situation at a Martin Place cafe. (Picture: Supplied)
The events brought to a head a siege which had paralysed the city from 10am yesterday morning when the self-styled Muslim cleric Monis took the group of 17 people hostage.
Four of the hostages were staff members from the nearby Westpac bank who had dropped into the cafe for their morning coffee.
He first came to the attention of police when he penned letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers seven years ago. He had also been charged with more than 50 allegations of indecent and sexual assault, reported to have occurred while he operated as "spiritual healer".
Sheik Man Haron Monis during one of his recent court appearances. (AAP)
Monis had been quiet for nine hours in the lead up to the storming of the building when a man sprinted from the cafe with his hands raised.
After dropping to the ground he was frisked by police and taken away.
Another group of five then ran out the door to safety.
December 15, 2014: Two female employees have escaped from the Lindt Café siege in Sydney’s Martin Place.
A bang from inside the building was heard and was quickly followed by a second loud report when a seventh hostage ran into the arms of police.
Police opened the door and used live ammunition and several stun grenades.
IN PICTURES: Hostages escape Sydney siege cafe Five of the people being held hostage in the Lindt Café in Sydney’s Martin Place have run from the building. Click through to see the latest photos from the dramatic situation.
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The seventh hostage was then ushered away before more gunfire erupted.
Two women were taken to hospital with "non-life threatening injuries", police said, one is believed to have suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder and the other was shot in the leg.
In the confusion, most hostages were escorted away by police, but two were put on stretchers by paramedics.
December 16, 2014: NSW Premier Mike Baird has said that NSW must come together after the events of the siege.
One police officer suffered minor injuries to his face from shotgun pellets.
The patients were taken to St Vincents Hospital and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for treatment.
December 15, 2014: NSW Premier Mike Baird and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione have lauded the NSW police during a press conference as the Martin Place siege continues into the night.
NSW Premier Mike Baird has called for calm following the incident.
December 15, 2014: Sydney's CBD is almost a ghost town, as people leave the city during the siege at Martin Place.
“In the past 24 hours, this city has been shaken by a tragedy we’d never thought possible – we are a peaceful and harmonious society which is the envy of the world,” he said this morning.
“We must go about our useful business, we must work, we must talk to our family, we must talk to our friends.
“But we must come together… we are stronger together and we will get through this.”
It is believed 11 people escaped or were rescued, after five escaped yesterday afternoon.
One of the first hostages to escape raises his hands as he approaches armed police. (Getty)
The radical self-styled Muslim Sheik is no stranger to police, with a long rap sheet that allegedly includes sexual abuse and organising the murder of his ex-wife.
Late last year he was charged with being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife and mother of two.
More recently he was charged with a raft of offences in relation to indecent and sexual assault while operating as a self-proclaimed "spiritual healer" in Sydney's west more than a decade ago.
On Friday, his latest appeal in relation to the sending of letters to deceased Australia soldiers was dismissed by the High Court.
Monis escaped jail time over the incident was sentenced to 300 hours of community service and placed on a two-year good behaviour bond in September 2013.
TIMELINE: How the siege unfolded 9am - Father-of-four Craig Stoker claims he "bumped" into the hostage gunman who told him: "Do you want me to shoot you too?" (Supplied)
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“What ISIL has done recently is actually claim credit for a number of these lone actor attacks even if there is no intelligence, let alone evidence, to indicate that it had a connection to these individuals," security expert Neil Fergus, who is the chief executive of Intelligent Risks, said.
"It has even claimed responsibility on the internet for the attack in Melbourne involving the stabbing of two police officers and the death of the perpetrator.”
“So it will again try to use this type of tragic event to [spread] its message.
“They will try to claim it is one of their terrorist events and the reality is that we've got a very disturbed criminal individual who has carried out this attack with some very murky political agenda but it will now go into the litany of these lone wolf attacks that seem to have been occurring around the globe in recent months.”
Tom Steinfort @tomsteinfort
Ray Hadley says he spoke with hostage, and could hear the gunman in the background barking orders and demanding to go live on air View on Twitter
Police said their operation had now concluded but the matter would now be handed to the Professional Standards Command, which handle all police shootings.
Heavily armed police remained on scene and a bomb detection robot was seen entering the building.
The families of those being held captive had gathered at a nearby St James building earlier in the evening.
After the gunfire erupted, they paced the stairs at the front of the building, as police tried to usher them inside.
NSW Police @nswpolice
Re: Police op at #MartinPlace. Number of streets now closed in the area. #EasternSuburbs rail services suspended. Public asked to stay away. View on Twitter
Throughout the night, hostages had been huddled in the cafe in the darkness.
The gunman had earlier rotated the hostages for around two hours at a time for stints pressed against the glass windows of the shop.
The gunman was reportedly "extremely agitated" after the escape of five hostages yesterday afternoon and was seen shouting at the remaining hostages.
One of the hostages to flee the siege was Lindt cafe worker Elly Chen, whose escape, caught by cameramen gathered at the distant barricades, evoked an outpouring of relief from friends on her Facebook page.
A male escapee was taken to St Vincents Hospital to be treated for shock and a pre-existing heart condition and was in a satisfactory condition.
Social media had been employed by the gunman, with reports hostages have been directed to relay his demands via Facebook accounts and to contact media outlets, however police had urged the gunman to speak directly to negotiators.
December 15, 2014: Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that NSW police are being supported by Commonwealth Agencies as they work on the hostage situation in Martin Place.
The shocking siege turned Martin Place and surrounding streets - Sydney's government, legal and financial heart - into a ghost town with roads empty of pedestrians and travelled only by speeding police and emergency vehicles with lights flashing.
Office workers were evacuated from buildings during the day via ladders, out of windows and down fire escapes.
Earlier, two hostages had contacted 9NEWS with demands from the gunman.
9NEWS reporter Mark Burrows says it was "upsetting in the extreme" to speak with two hostages, both women, inside the cafe this afternoon, who both contacted the station's newsroom at the demand of the gunman.
Burrows said he could hear the gunman in the background "clearly ... outlining his demands", which 9NEWS has refused to air in cooperation with authorities.
Burrows said the first woman "sounded remarkably calm as she detailed (the gunman's) demands".
She asked Burrows to pass on a message to her husband, who also remarked that his wife was "always so cool in a crisis".
December 15, 2014: Leaders from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities have come together in religious unity as the siege in Martin Place continues.
The second woman Burrows spoke to was "agitated" that nothing seemed to be happening, the journalist said.
"She also relayed more of his demands but he (the gunman) would not come to the phone," Burrows said.
"It was upsetting in the extreme to hear these women talking ... women who should be at home with their families ... who are now plunged into a deadly situation."
The alarm was raised about 9.45am after onlookers reported a man with a shotgun taking hostages in the cafe.
In the first hours of the siege, hostages were forced to hold what appeared to be an Islamic flag, identified as a Shahada flag, in the cafe window reading: "There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger."
The flag is used by the group Jabhat al-Nusra - which preaches jihad and has links to terror groups ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has praised police and emergency services for their actions and extended his sympathy to the friends and family members of those involved in the siege.
He described the two hostages killed during the horrific events as “innocent Australians”.
“There is nothing more Australian than dropping into the local café for a morning coffee,” he said during a short press conference today.
He also condemned the act but shied away from labelling it terrorism.
“He (the offender) sought to cloak his action in the symbolise of the ISIL death cult,” he said.
“These events do demonstrate that any country as free, as open, generous and safe as ours is vulnerable to acts of politically motivated violence.
“But we are ready to deal with these people, professionally and with the full force of the law.”
Australia's national terror alert level was lifted to High in September just before two people were charged in raids in Sydney amid reports there was a plot to behead a member of the public in Martin Place.
Mr Abbott said at the time there was no specific information behind the decision.
Read more at http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/12/15/10/00/major-police-operation-in-sydneys-martin-place#BXBZ9JCaeuX56oZd.99
