Illawarra’s Ben Besant, the hero cop who ended the 2014 Lindt Café siege, fought to have his identity made public for a decade and is now taking on his next challenge: to help as many people as he can conquer their own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Ben was part of the NSW Tactical Operations Unit (TOU) called to action on December 15, 2014 when Islamic State-inspired terrorist Man Haron Monis held 18 people hostage in the Lindt Café in Martin Place, Sydney. Monis was armed with a pump-action shotgun and what was then believed to be a backpack full of explosives.
By the end of the more-than-16-hour siege, Monis had shot dead Lindt Café manager Tori Johnson, Monis himself was killed by police, and barrister Katrina Dawson had died as a result of injuries sustained in the police assault to save the hostages.
Ben was the TOU officer who shot and killed Monis.
After the siege, the coroner placed a suppression order on Ben’s name, meaning he could only ever be referred to as “Officer A” and he could never be identified as the man who killed Monis. Ben took on a long court fight to reclaim his identity and that suppression order was eventually lifted in late November 2024.
But Ben’s personal battles have gone beyond the siege and the courts as he has suffered with debilitating PTSD since the tragic events of 2014. And his battles with criminals, terrorists, and his own personal demons are detailed in his book, Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! The Lindt Café Siege. The first edition sold out but named Officer A as the author; a second edition is now available, with Ben’s full name and identity revealed.
Ben, who remained in the TOU for six years after the siege, told the Flame that now being able to put his name to the siege story had become “very important” to him because it meant that he could talk “face to face” with people who were suffering with PTSD.
“It’s initially a bit surreal that I could finally put my name and face to my story after such a long battle. I'm just really happy that I can now talk about it and hopefully help as many people as I can [with PTSD] from now on.
“In my book is also my journey with PTSD and obviously how much it was debilitating for me, but then my approach to it and how I confronted it as my new threat, and now to a fair extent I've beaten it.
"I’ve had so much feedback from [readers of] my book and my story and how it's helping so many people, and now I've got my name and identity back and I can now speak with all these people face to face and share my story and hopefully help as many as I can.
“I've already got numerous speaking engagements coming up for the book, but also some in relation to speaking about PTSD and depression as well.
“So that'll be a big aim of mine this year – to get out there now, share my story that I now can and help as many as I can.”
Ben’s PTSD in the aftermath of the siege cost him his job, his marriage, and his home but now he’s determined to talk with PTSD sufferers and try to give them a way to manage and hopefully overcome what is a crippling disorder.
And he’s using principles of his TOU training to do it.
“It's in my police tactical training: you have to confront the threat and once I realised that PTSD was my new threat in life, the only way that I could beat it was to, I suppose, use my police training and confront the threat and attack it with as many things that I could.”
Ben even has plans for a follow-up book that will likely be based around his approach to tackling PTSD: confront the threat.
“There's definitely talk about it.
“It’s a hell of a lot of work. My first book took me a good two years – I couldn't believe how much work is actually involved – but, yeah, I'm thinking this year.”
The extreme stress of being a TOU officer on-site at the Lindt Café siege took a heavy toll on him.
“Back when I was working [in the TOU] the expression was 'all or nothing'.
“We were there [at the Lindt Café siege site] for 16 hours and there were so many ups and downs.
“There were points, we were a hundred percent certain we were going to go in [to the cafe and rescue the hostages] and then we didn’t.
“Doing that for a job where it’s a lot of waiting, a lot of 'hurry up and wait’, and then all of a sudden it's a very full-on and you have to deal with that.”
While discussions around PTSD, depression and the like may take place a little more readily nowadays than even 10 years ago, officers in 2014 had few opportunities to address their ongoing issues.
“I would say when I was working, I dealt with it [PTSD] incorrectly because lots of the trauma I knew it was impacting on me but I just tried to walk it all away just so I could keep working and that was sort of all I knew.
"Constant communication with your mates always helps, a lot of exercise, all of that sort of thing helps, but I wouldn't say that I dealt with it, it was all just locked away and that's why I am where I am today.”
Bottling up emotions and not revealing how the stress of the job is actually affecting them is still a go-to tactic for serving officers.
“It’s still ingrained in police culture and especially my old unit.
“I'd say people are waking up a bit now, but still so much needs to be done in the police force to address it and that’s the reason I'm pushing for a parliamentary inquiry, which is gaining a lot of support behind it, and hopefully we'll address those issues.”
Ben said PTSD would always be in his life in some way and he has “up and down periods but in general, in life, I believe I'm really on top of it now.
“I'm on top of my life. I'm optimistic about the future.
“I realise that it's going to be a constant battle to keep on top of it, but the way I am now, the head space for me now, I'm enjoying life again and I'm happy.”
Ben will discuss his life and the Lindt siege with Margaret Throsby at the Coledale RSL from 2pm on Saturday, 8th February. Bookings are essential and can be made by emailing thirroul@collinsbooks.com.au.
