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Kochie breaks silence on Lindt Café siege terror

<p>David ‘Kochie’ Koch spared no emotion as he spoke for the first time about how he was tracked down and whisked to safety by police on the day of the Lindt Café siege.</p> <p>The veteran TV presenter reflected on the crippling ordeal during an interview with M’s <em>Rush Hour with Leisel Jones, Liam and Dobbo</em>, which was secured by <em>news.com.au</em>.</p> <p>“I’ve never talked about it,” Koch revealed when asked about the devastating events of December 15, 2014. “It had a massive impact on both Nat (Natalie Barr) and I.</p> <p>“The bloke involved in that (Man Haron Monis) was on our security watch list because he’d tried to get to me a few times,” Koch told the Triple M hosts.</p> <p>Six years before the siege, Monis had approached Koch and other <em>Sunrise</em> presenters as they chatted with fans outside the Martin Place studios.</p> <p>Monis was unhappy with a segment that had aired on the show and he allegedly accused the hosts of being “terrorists” before he was taken away by security.</p> <p>On the morning of the siege, Koch left the Channel 7 studios after <em>Sunrise</em> was over and went to a gym three blocks away.</p> <p>He was working out with a friend when the news of the hostage situation first broke.</p> <p>“I remember I got a call … (saying) ‘can I come to (the gym’s) reception,’” Koch shared.</p> <p>On the other end of the phone was the police, who were concerned that the TV presenter could be one of Monis’ targets.</p> <p>According to Koch, the police told him, “We’re coming to pick you up, take you home, you stay there until we tell you.’”</p> <p>Koch said the events that unfolded “had a massive impact” on him and led him to take his security much more seriously.</p> <p>“I have a car that I haven’t driven since because the police said it’s too distinctive,” he said.</p> <p>During the interview, Rush Hour co-host and Olympic gold medallist Leisel Jones revealed she was very closely caught up in the terror attack, which claimed the lives of café manager Tori Johnson and lawyer Katrina Dawson.</p> <p>“I was actually supposed to be in the Lindt Cafe,” Jones, who was working at the nearby Westpac building at time, shared. “(But) I didn’t want hot chocolate, I chose coffee.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty / Instagram</em></p>

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Lindt café sniper sues NSW Police over "failure" to save lives

<p>The chief sniper in the Lindt café siege is set to sue the NSW Police Force for negligence, alleging he and fellow officers were prevented from doing their jobs and that the lives of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson could have been saved.</p> <p>The officer, who was only identified as Sierra 3-1, claimed in a 30-page affidavit that he has suffered psychological trauma due to the decisions taken by his superiors during the December 2014 siege in Sydney.</p> <p>He lodged a complaint about the senior officers to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commissioner after the 2016 inquest, but the complaint was dismissed.</p> <p>“The way we trained for incidents like this is for the sniper co-ordinator to be in the command post,” he said. “I asked to perform that role on this occasion, but I didn’t.”</p> <p>A relative said making a complaint and taking a civil action was a “big decision” for the chief sniper, who was medically discharged from the force in 2017. </p> <p>“He believes Tori Johnson’s life was saveable and says that in his affidavit,” the relative said.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 333.008px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7826283/lindt.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b65db7cff7f144b6ac5bf0fee392ed9c" /></p> <p>According to the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lindt-cafe-siege-sniper-sues-nsw-police-for-negligence-alleging-lives-could-have-been-saved/news-story/9db583e21cfd49864a2cc82601a78d18" target="_blank"><em>Daily Telegraph</em></a>, the civil action was lodged on April 12 in the NSW District Court for a one-day hearing scheduled for next year.</p> <p>The case is expected to re-examine many aspects of the siege, which saw 17 people being taken hostage by gunman Man Haron Monis.</p> <p>The 50-year-old terrorist was killed in the siege along with 34-year-old Lindt café manager Tori Johnson and 38-year-old barrister Katrina Dawson.</p>

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Easter egg sale frenzy! How to get 50% off at Coles and Woolworths

<p>Good news for chocoholics! Coles and Woolworths have slashed the prices of their Easter chocolates, with iconic brands such as Cadbury and Lindt selling at a huge discount.</p> <p>From today, April 17, Coles and Woolworths are offering markdowns on their Easter chocolates, which includes Easter eggs, bunnies as well as discounts on traditional blocks of chocolate.</p> <p>One of the sweeter deals on offer is the discount on the 1kg Lindt bunny offered at Woolworths, which is usually $80 but will be selling at $60.</p> <p>Other Lindt items on sale at both stores include:</p> <ul> <li>$30 Lindt Easter Gala Box, which has been discounted to $15</li> <li>$5.50 Lindt Gold Bunny, which is now $4.50</li> <li>Mini eggs, which have dropped from $16 to $8 </li> </ul> <p>The discount also includes the Lindt Lindor chocolates, which have gone from $20 to $10 overnight.</p> <p>However, if you’re more of a fan of Cadbury chocoloate, there are discounts for your sweet tooth as well.</p> <p>Discounts for Cadbury include:</p> <ul> <li>Favourites packets down to $9.50</li> <li>Mixed bags of eggs from $15 down to $12</li> <li>Larger Easter bunnies from $4.50 down to $4 </li> </ul> <p>Toblerone bars, Celebrations chocolates, Maltesers and M&amp;M’s are similarly reduced, costing $5 a bag.</p> <p>If you’re a fan of the Italian Ferrero Rocher’s, their box of 16 is half price, which is now $6.30 instead of $12.60.</p> <p>There are likely to be further markdowns closer to Sunday, as the supermarkets attempt to clear their Easter stock.</p> <p>Most Woolworths and Coles stores will be closed on Good Friday, but open for the majority of the weekend with Easter trading hours in place, for last-minute goodies and treats.</p> <p>Normal trading hours will resume the following Tuesday.</p> <p>Are you heading to a Woolies or Coles near you, to stock up on chocolate? Let us know in the comments.</p>

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