Coroner considers grilling top NSW cops

The families of the Lindt cafe siege victims want NSW coroner Michael Barnes to get evidence from the police commissioner and his deputy.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn

The NSW Police Deputy Commissioner has been asked for a statement for the Sydney siege inquest. (AAP)

NSW coroner Michael Barnes is weighing up a request for Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and his deputy Catherine Burn to be questioned at the Lindt Cafe siege inquest.

The families of siege victims, Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, have asked the coroner to get evidence from the top police officers along with Assistant Commissioner Jeff Loy.

Neither of the three senior police have been called as witnesses since the inquest into the deadly December 2014 siege began nearly 18 months ago.

A spokesman for the coroner's office confirmed the written request had been made and that if granted, the trio would be called to give evidence towards the end of inquest.

Ms Burn, who has been asked to provide a written statement, is in charge of the Special Operations unit, including counter terrorism and negotiations.

She has previously refused to comment on the siege while the inquest has been under way.

Mr Loy was acting deputy commissioner at the time of the December 2014 siege, when gunman Man Haron Monis held 18 people hostage for 16 hours in the Martin Place cafe.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Scipione and Ms Burn both left the police command post before the Lindt cafe siege ended.

Premier Mike Baird and then police minister Stuart Ayres also left at 10pm and checked into city hotels, the paper reported on Thursday.

The siege ended at 2.30am on December 16, 2014, when police stormed the cafe. Two hostages and the gunman died.

In recent weeks the inquest has heard that as the siege unfolded, there was a lack of police resources and negotiators were engaged in other duties.

The inquest continues.


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Source: AAP


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