The first day of the Bondi Junction inquest has heard killer Joel Cauchi had a “preoccupation with death, and mass killings” before the fatal stabbings.
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The inquest into the violent rampage that killed six and injured ten in April last year heard there was evidence of planning.
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Joel Cauchi was shot dead by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott less than six minutes after the attacks began.
The Bondi Junction inquest heard that the knives used by Cauchi were purchased years earlier.
It was also told that the 40-year-old had made a note to “check out malls and where to run”.
He had also allegedly bookmarked pages about serial killers and mass stabbing incidents.
On the day of the massacre, he also searched for information about the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in the US.
The inquest is expected to go for four weeks and hear from about 40 witnesses.
It will also look into Cauchi’s deteriorating mental health, his interactions with related services, the police and security responses, to prevent future tragedies.
Counsel Assisting the Coroner, Dr Peggy Dwyer, said there was “no direct evidence indicating any motive in relation to what happened”.
However, Dwyer said what was apparent was the, “inner turmoil and his dark thoughts leading up to the incident”.
“What these records unequivocally show is a man who was seriously unwell.”
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