It’s been 10 years to the day since lone wolf gunman Man Haron Monis stormed the Lindt Cafe in Sydney and took 18 people hostage.
Mourners gathered to pay their respects to the two lives lost, while first responders demanded greater support for those still struggling with the events of that day.
For years, the police officer who shot dead Monis at the end of the 16-hour siege was known only as officer A. But now a court has decided Ben Besant is free to tell his story of how post traumatic stress disorder cost him his job and marriage.
“I went to a psych hospital and came to the realisation that I do have it, I wouldn’t let it define me, and I need to do it for my family and loved ones,” he said.
Besant has struggled with guilt knowing stray bullet fragments that killed one of the hostages, Katrina Dawson, likely came from his gun.
He held Dawson in his arms as she took her last breath.
The trauma he endured that day was not recognised by the force at the time.
“Definitely not from the boss. I was back at work the day after the siege,” he said.
“There was no talk of time off.”
Besant is calling for a national inquiry into first responder PTSD, a step towards giving those on the front line better support.
“I believe a real discussion needs to be had to looking into helping first responders and all their families,” he said.
It was Besant who carried Lindt survivor Louisa Hope to safety.
This year she launched Victims of Terror Australia (VOTA).
“It’s about duty, so I survived and therefore it is my duty I’ve always felt to get the best out of what happened to us that I could,” she said.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb says support for officers has improved with the creation of liaison officers to support cops and their families.
“They have become invaluable,” she said.
Besant and Hope have forged a strong friendship since that day 10 years ago.
They planned to mark the 10-year anniversary together quietly and privately, remembering the victims Dawson and Tori Johnson.
Besant’s battle with PTSD is ongoing, but he is winning.
