A student wrongly named by Channel Seven as the crazed Bondi Junction mass killer has settled with the network for an undisclosed amount.
Benjamin Cohen’s name was wrongly linked to the April 13 attack – which killed five women and one man – by Sunrise co-host Matt Shirvington shortly after 6am the following day.
The shocking blunder was repeated by journalist Lucy McLeod 10 minutes later.
Seven admitted in a lengthy apology to Mr Cohen on Friday that it only found out their mistake when his mother rang their newsroom.
Mr Cohen engaged two of Australia’s foremost defamation lawyers, Patrick George of Giles George as his solicitor and Sue Chrysanthou SC as barrister, to pursue a civil case against the network.
A concerns notice was sent to Seven last week, with the network on Friday revealing it has settled with the university student but that the terms were confidential.
Queensland man Joel Cauchi, 40, has since been identified as the man in an Australian Kangaroos jersey who went on a murderous rampage through the popular Sydney eastern suburbs shopping centre.
Ben Cohen (pictured) was wrongly identified by internet sleuths as the knifeman behind the Bondi Junction Westfield attack
The knifeman (pictured during the attack) was revealed to be 40-year-old Joel Cauchi
Hours after Seven’s false reports, NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley confirmed that Cauchi was the attacker who was shot dead by hero police officer Amy Scott.
Seven issued an on-air apology to Mr Cohen on Sunday read by reporter Sarah Jane Bell during a cross.
‘Earlier this morning, reports of the incident incorrectly named the perpetrator as 40-year-old Benjamin Cohen,’ she said on air.
‘It was later confirmed that the name of the 40-year-old is Joel Cauchi from Queensland. Seven apologises for any distress caused by our earlier reports.’
In their apology to Mr Cohen on Friday, Seven said it had ‘made attempts to find a contact number for you but did not have one until your mother rang the newsroom’.
Online trolls on Saturday night wrongly identified Mr Cohen and his name trended on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Mr Cohen told media earlier this week that he had been inundated with friend requests and messages on social media.
‘It’s just gone crazy, it’s like ‘look, you’ve got the wrong guy’,’ said Mr Cohen, a first year computer science student.
‘People don’t really think too hard about what they’re posting and how it might affect someone. It’s very dangerous how people could just make stuff up and destroy people’s lives.’
Seven’s new managing director and CEO Jeff Howard, who took over after James Warburton stepped down last week, said the error was a ‘grave mistake and entirely without basis.’
‘Seven withdraws the false allegations unreservedly and apologises to you for the harm you and your family have suffered as a result of Seven’s statements about you,’ he said in the letter released by Mr Cohen’s lawyers.
He explained a Seven producer wrongly assumed information circulating online had been confirmed to be correct.
Sunrise host Matt Shirvington wrongly named Mr Cohen as the attacker during the network’s coverage
‘This led to the inclusion on Seven’s broadcast news at approximately 6.05am and 6.15am of the words referred to in the concerns notice and for a short time on Seven’s social media,’ he said.
‘The error quickly became apparent and no further broadcast of the name ‘Benjamin Cohen’ was made in Seven’s ongoing news coverage. Seven made attempts to find a contact number for you but did not have one until your mother rang the newsroom.
‘Seven’s staff, including especially its on-air presenters Mr Shirvington and Ms [Lucy] McLeod, are devastated that the error was made and that it has affected you.
‘Seven wishes to assure you that the error originated at the producer level and that Seven’s presenters were in no way involved in suggesting or scripting the words which were published.
‘Both Mr Shirvington and Ms McLeod nevertheless wish to offer their own personal apology to you for the hurt and distress caused.
‘Whilst Seven does not suggest that it is relevant to your reaction, we nevertheless note that the staff members involved are deeply remorseful and traumatised by the mistake.’
