Finally....finally Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn faced the music at the Man Monis Seige at the Coronial Inquest in Sydney today.

Yesterday's revelations that Deputy Commissioner Burn had deleted text messages regarding the siege were jaw dropping enough.

But even that was trumped by today's disclosures that Commissioner Andrew Scipione had texted her regarding 'a meeting the next day to discuss new equipment needed for future such circumstances ...once this is over. Then...see you bright and early tomorrow.'

This was sent at the height of the siege  by Scipione. An unbelievable callow and plastic approach to such a deeply serious situation.

Scipione will be in the witness box tomorrow and he can expect a firestorm of questioning from the very able legal briefs appearing at the Inquest.

No place to hide tomorrow for the Commissioner nor his Deputy Burn.

'Do I believe this Cath' is not much of a pointer as to the content of the post is it Aussie?

If you look at my post you know exactly what the post is going be about.

If you don't want replication then put in your subject what in the dickens it's about.

If the subject had been clearly delineated then there wouldn't have been a double up.

Sorry cods, I did scan the subjects before I wrote but your subject banner didn't lead me to your subject. No offence and sorry. RB

The Lindt Seige Inquiry had a tumultuous end yesterday as the accusations flew with Police Commissioner Scipione in the box. Scipione has a nickname in the Police Force it is 'Teflon' draw your own conclusions.

Source: The Australian Newspaper


“That’s as close a direction as one could get”

NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has denied an allegation that he delivered a direct operational instruction to a subordinate in an email he sent late on the night of the Lindt Cafe siege asking commanders immediately to have pulled down from YouTube a video made by a hostage.

Mr Scipione has told the inquest into the siege the email was only in the nature of bringing a matter to commanders’ attention, not an order, even though it said “let’s move to have it pulled down from YouTube ASAP.”

Counsel assisting the inquest, Jeremy Gormly SC, put to Mr Scipione that despite his claim that he made no operational decision and gave no instructions on the night, he did so in the form of that email.

Mr Gormly: “That’s as close as a direction as one could get.”

Mr Scipione: “Well, I disagree.”

The inquest into the death of gunman Man Haron Monis and hostages Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson has heard evidence that Mr Scipione sent the email to senior commanders at 11:59pm on the night of the siege on December 15, 2014, referring to the video, made by a hostage on instructions of Monis which issued his demands and criticised what the hostage said was inaction by police.

Mr Scipione today said he was not sure how he received the YouTube video link, which he got either at home or on his way there, but said: “Having looked at it, I decided I would forward it on.

“There was a lot of chatter about the whole event.”

Mr Scipione said he was concerned that the video could promote retaliation - presumably against the Muslim community.

Mr Scipione said he did not contact either the police commander on the night, Assistant Commissioner Mark Jenkins, or other commanders to whom he sent the email to ask what they thought of a possible move to take down the video before sending it.

He did not make inquiries of the police commander as to whether it could aggravate the tension in the stronghold, but accepted it could.

Mr Scipione said he sent the message principally to Acting Deputy Commissioner Jeff Loy because he was in charge of Operation Hammerhead which was designed to deal with any “race bias” retaliations, and it was to alert him to the clip and let him deal with it as he saw fit.

Mr Scipione agreed the video made by the female hostage was done under duress from Monis, saying: “It was degrading of that woman to have to be forced to do so” and that it provided an insight into the mind of Monis, but those were the concerns for operational officers, not him.

“I wasn’t in any way in charge of that negotiation strategy or its delivery,” Mr Scipione told the inquest.

Mr Gormly put to Mr Scipione that according to police protocol he he had been assigned a non-operational role in the siege, to which he replied, “that is absolutely right.”

Mr Scipione noted that in the email, he had said he would leave the video issue to his subordinates.

“If there was an impact that was not manageable from their perspective, I am sure they would have informed me.”

“I did not follow it up, I just left it to their good judgement.”

Asked if a decision to take down the video was an operational decision, Mr Scipione said “absolutely.”

“Ultimately, that was a decision for those who took the responsibility.”

Mr Scipione denied the fact that in the video, the hostage had been critical of police, had any influence in his decision to send the email.

He noted that Mr Jenkins had already, before Mr Scipione’s email, independently started measures to have the video taken down.