Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson named as Sydney siege victims | Australia news | The GuardianKatrina Dawson and Tori Johnson named as Sydney siege victims | Australia news | The Guardian










Close






Skip to main content

 









sign in








subscribe









search




jobs






more


from the guardian:


jobs


change edition:



switch to the UK edition


switch to the AU edition







US edition




switch to the UK edition




switch to the Australia edition













The Guardian


Winner of the Pulitzer prize











home


›
world


›
australia




UK


europe


americas


asia


middle east


africa










home




US




world
selected




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment







browse all sections
close







 











Sydney siege



Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson named as Sydney siege victims









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 
• Follow rolling coverage here • Sydney siege ends as tactical response police storm Lindt Cafe and hostages run out• #illridewithyou: hashtag offers solidarity with Sydney’s Muslims• What is the significance of the Sydney siege flag?














Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, the two hostages killed in a dramatic 16-hour siege at the Lindt cafe in Sydney. Photograph: AAP




Brigid Delaney and 
Calla Wahlquist


Tuesday 16 December 2014 03.21 EST







Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp
















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, who is survived by his partner of 14 years, Thomas Zinn, had worked at the Lindt cafe for more than two years, and had previously worked in other cafes in Sydney and in the US. He had worked at the Martin Place cafe since 2012.
Johnson’s family released a statement to Channel 9’s Ben Fordham on Tuesday.
“We are so proud of our beautiful boy Tori, gone from this earth but forever in our memories as the most amazing life partner, son and brother we could ever wish for,” it read.
“We feel heartfelt sorrow for the family of Katrina Dawson.
“We’d like to thank not only our friends and loved ones for their support, but the people of Sydney; Australia and those around the world for reaching out with their thoughts and prayers.
The family expressed their “deepest gratitude” to the police, armed forces and paramedics for the efforts during the siege, and asked the media for privacy.
Johnson moved back to Australia in 2004 after a three-year stint overseas, working at hotels in the US and the Maldives, his LinkedIn profile showed. 
He studied hospitality business management at Washington State University in 2002 and 2003, and held a diploma of hotel management.
Peter Manettas, from Nicks Restaurant and Bar group, where Johnsonworked for more than six years, told Guardian Australia he “always put everyone else first”.
“He was a leader. He was a very selfless person, he always put his staff before anything else,” Manettas said.
He said Johnson was close to his family, and maintained close ties with many of his former co-workers when he left to work for Lindt.
“Family was very, very important to Tori,” Manettas said.
“A day wouldn’t go by in the period that he was working with us thathe would not mention his family.”
“Everyone is deeply saddened ... our deepest sympathies go out to Tori’sfamily. It’s a very, very sad day.”
Another former colleague, Tony Manno, who worked with Johnson at Sydney’s Adria Rybar & Grill, told the ABC he was shattered to hear the news.
“Tori was a great guy, a good guy to be around,” he said. “He got on really well with all the staff.
Lindt Australia chief executive Steve Loane released a statement about Tori Johnson on the Lindt Chocolate Cafe Australia Facebook page.
“Tori had been with us at Lindt for just over two years and he was a great ambassador for our company and the store that he managed, which he cared about passionately,” Loane said.
“He was a dedicated professional who always built a great rapport with his customers and was much loved by the Lindt team. By nature he was a perfectionist and he had a genuine passion for the hospitality industry and people.
“He was a really important part of our management team in Australia and his loss is absolutely tragic. Our thoughts are with his family and we will do all that we can to provide ongoing support and help for them during this very difficult time.
“We also wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of Katrina Dawson, another tragic loss.”
Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, was with fellow barrister Julie Taylor buying hot chocolate 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. Sandy Dawson recently represented Fairfax Media in its defamation case against the treasurer, Joe Hockey. 
Katrina Dawson completed a law degree at the University of Sydney and a Masters in law at the University of NSW.
She was married to Paul Smith, a partner at Mallesons, whom she met while completing her clerkship at the firm.
A friend of Dawson’s told the Australian Financial Review: “I can’t even believe it is her. Just that face, the dimples, the eyes – she was just unforgettablereally.”
“I remember thinking how capable she always seemed, balancing a careerand her kids.”
“One time we met for coffee and her two kids were bouncing all over her, drinking their baby chinos and decorating her plate with salt and pepper. But she was just so relaxed and doting on them.”
Fairfax Media 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 private girls 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, Fairfax Media reported.
The NSW Bar Association released a statement on Tuesday morning: “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.”
In addition to her commercial practice, Katrina Dawson was a volunteer legal worker in Redfern.
Today the Redfern Legal Centre tweeted: “We mourn the loss of KatrinaDawson today, who contributed to the community in many ways includingvolunteering at RLC for many years. She’s remembered as one of our bestvolunteers who was well liked by all. Our thoughts are with herfamily, friends and colleagues today.”






According to a report in The Australian, Dawson got her coffee most days from the Lindt cafe. When news of the siege broke, fearing the worst, her family tried to contact her via text, and in her chambers. Her children were being informed today.
The other two barristers with Dawson in the cafe were Julie Taylor, believed to be mid-way through a pregnancy, and Stefan Balafoutis – one of the first to escape.
He was not speaking to media but is understood to have been assisting police throughout the night.
Lindt chief executive 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.



Topics



Sydney siege




Sydney




New South Wales




Crime - Australia








Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp



















 






more on this story














Sydney siege: Australian PM Tony Abbott warns of rise in 'terrorist chatter' - video

Australian prime minister Tony Abbott warns of a rise in 'terrorist chatter' in the aftermath of the cafe siege in Sydney



Published: 23 Dec 2014




Sydney siege: Australian PM Tony Abbott warns of rise in 'terrorist chatter' - video












Sydney siege victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson mourned at memorial services

Survivors of Martin Place Lindt cafe siege join victims’ families and NSW premier, governor and police commissioner at memorial services



Published: 22 Dec 2014




Sydney siege victims Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson mourned at memorial services












Sydney siege floral tributes to be removed before wet weather hits city

Flowers will be mulched and used in a memorial to be established in consultation with the families of the victims of the Lindt cafe attack in Martin Place



Published: 22 Dec 2014




Sydney siege floral tributes to be removed before wet weather hits city












Sydney siege: videos show gunman's wife a risk to public, say prosecutors

Amirah Droudis faces a bid to revoke her bail pending her trial over the killing of Man Haron Monis’s former wife



Published: 21 Dec 2014




Sydney siege: videos show gunman's wife a risk to public, say prosecutors














Partner of Sydney siege gunman arrives at court - video




Published: 22 Dec 2014




Partner of Sydney siege gunman arrives at court - video








Siege survivor Julie Taylor tells of heartbreak over loss of Katrina Dawson




Published: 18 Dec 2014




Siege survivor Julie Taylor tells of heartbreak over loss of Katrina Dawson








Man Haron Monis lawyers and judges receive death threats and other abuse




Published: 18 Dec 2014




Man Haron Monis lawyers and judges receive death threats and other abuse








On guns, David Leyonhjelm is neither a champion nor a villain. He's a libertarian

Eleanor Robertson




Published: 18 Dec 2014







On guns, David Leyonhjelm is neither a champion nor a villain. He's a libertarian
















popular












 








The Guardian






back to top














home




US




world
selected




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment







all sections
close







home




US




world
selected




UK




europe




americas




asia




middle east




africa




australia
selected






opinion




sports




soccer




MLS




NFL




MLB




NBA




NHL






soccer




live scores




tables




competitions




results




fixtures




clubs






tech




games






arts




movies




tv & radio




music




books




art & design




stage




classical






lifestyle




food




health




love & sex




family




women




home & garden






fashion




business




markets




companies






money




travel




USA




europe




UK






environment




development




cities






science




media




crosswords




video











World




›
Australia




›
Sydney siege








jobs

subscribe
all topics
all contributors

info and resources

contact us

feedback

complaints & corrections
terms & conditions
privacy policy
cookie policy
securedrop


© 2015 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.






















 
