Grandmother called nutcase during clash with police still traumatised

A grandmother in Australia who was labelled a 'nutcase' and told 'she had no rights' by police during a roadside confrontation says she is still traumatised by the incident. Linda Milazzo refused to stop at a police roadblock in South Yarra, Victoria, in May 2012. Instead, the 63-year-old drove through the roadside operation, clipping an officer as she passed. Three police officers pursued her vehicle and a screaming match broke out when she refused to turn her engine off and get out of her car.

The run-in was recorded on an officer's vest-mounted camera, later presented as evidence at the County Court. In the video, a police officer demands Mrs Milazzo, who had recently suffered a heart attack, step out of the car, but she refuses, claiming she is having another cardiac arrest, to which the officer replies: 'You don't look like you're having a heart attack'. Threatening Mrs Milazzo with an attempted murder charge, an officer continues: 'You have just attempted to run over a policeman.


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'You just attempted to run down a policeman'. An officer then turns to a colleague, labelling Mrs Milazzo a 'f*cking nutcase', followed by laughter. Mrs Milazzo received a $1,000 fine and was disqualified from driving for six months, but it was the actions of police that concerned her most. "I'd like to see them go and do some courses on how to deal with people," she said.

Two years on, Mrs Milazzo said police conduct must change. "I want them to learn from it. I want them to learn that this is not acceptable behaviour." Embarrassed by the video, Victoria's senior police say they will investigate the incident, with the officers involved facing possible disciplinary action. "We don't condone that sort of behaviour and we continually instruct our officers and guide our officers about being as polite as possible and courteous to the public when they're executing their duties," said Deputy Police Commissioner Graham Ashton.