Tori Johnson died during the siege in Sydney. The police forward commander, whose name has been suppressed, did not apologise. "I accept that game may not be the right word," he said. In an exchange moments later, the commander was asked about the objectives of saving hostages versus protecting the life of the gunman, Man Haron Monis. "I can't ignore Man Monis as an individual," the police forward commander said. "He had the same rights as anyone else." It was about this time Ms Connellan left the court room, yelling "You're an absolute disgrace."

Ken Johnson, father of victim Tori Johnson, arrives at the Lindt cafe siege inquest. Credit:Ben Rushton Mr Johnson left soon after and the inquest was adjourned for the day. So concluded two days' evidence from the police forward commander, the man who ultimately sent in police to storm the cafe after Mr Johnson's death on December 16, 2014. Man Haron Monis asked Koch, "Are you a terrorist?" in 2008. Credit:Kate Geraghty Mr Johnson, the cafe manager, had been forced to kneel for several minutes with his hands behind his head before he was shot from behind. Barrister Katrina Dawson was killed by police bullet fragments.

The police forward commander had decided a "contain and negotiate" strategy was best for dealing with the siege. "Time is my friend in these situations," he said several times. He may have been too friendly with time, according to a review of the NSW police response by a team of British counter-terrorism experts. "In an Islamic State-inspired siege the maximum chance of survival of the hostages is achieved through early intervention by the police," the report says in an excerpt read to the Coroner's Court. This was "opposed to a hope that given time hostages will be released or escape".

Monis had claimed to be acting on behalf of IS and demanded police deliver him an IS flag during the siege. But the police forward commander said he disagreed with the British report's conclusion. "I can't think of any other ISIS-inspired event around the world that has been a stronghold situation," he said. On Monday, he said he had felt an "internal conflict" over the nature of the siege. On the one hand, it bore characteristics of a terrorist attack; on the other, it had elements of a domestic siege. He said he had never believed hostages were at imminent risk of serious injury or death throughout the siege – the risk threshold for emergency police action. Michael O'Connell, SC, acting for the family of Ms Dawson, put it to the commander that "time was an enemy" as the siege wore on. Mr O'Connell pointed out that Monis had worn a backpack thought to contain a bomb throughout the 17-hour siege and kept a hold of his gun at all times, while police had failed to make contact with him.

Loading The police forward commander said Monis had not retaliated after two hostage escapes and had let hostages go to the toilet and use their phones. The inquest continues before coroner Michael Barnes.