Sniper had bead on Monis, inquest hears

A sniper deployed during the Sydney siege had a chance to shoot the gunman inside the Lindt Cafe almost seven hours before the stand-off came to its frantic and deadly conclusion, an inquest has heard.

The inquest into the December 2014 siege has heard a sniper in the Westpac bank, on the corner of Phillip Street and opposite the cafe, raised the option of taking a shot at Man Haron Monis at about 7.35pm, about 10 hours into the stand-off.

Evidence presented at the inquest on Thursday included a communication between the sniper and the deputy tactical commander during the siege.

"He told me he had an observation of the POI (person of interest) ... and could take a shot if required," the deputy tactical commander recorded, according to evidence read out by counsel assisting the inquest, Sophie Callan.

But the officer in charge of tactics during the Sydney siege told the inquest he did not believe the sniper would have had the legal authority to take the shot, because he would have had to have established someone was about to be killed, or seriously injured.

The officer, who for legal reasons cannot be identified, also told the inquest it was not until 4.15pm that police discovered the glass on the outside of the Martin Place cafe, which was formerly a bank, was not bulletproof.

The sniper based at the Westpac bank had a "shooting solution" - meaning he believed he could fire through the glass - although options were "limited and difficult".

"It was normal glass but in terms of the shooting solution of a bullet in flight, it has an impact," the officer, who is also the commander of the NSW Police Tactical Operations Unit, told the inquest.

Pressed on the issue by Ms Callan, the officer said the glass, both at Westpac and the cafe, presented "impediments".

"But not to the extent if it was bulletproof?" Ms Callan asked.

The officer replied: "That team believed they could breach that glass."

Police stormed the Lindt Cafe shortly after 2am, about 17 hours after the siege began, when Man Haron Monis killed cafe manager Tori Johnson.

The gunman was killed by police and hostage Katrina Dawson died after being hit by police bullet fragments.

The inquest continues.