Taser victim says police 'need to be stopped'

A Brisbane Murri woman who was tasered in her left eye by police has spoken out about the ordeal.

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Murri woman Sheila Oakley. (NITV News)

Sheila Oakley, 36, has been in the Brisbane Prince Alfred Hospital since last Thursday morning after she was confronted on the doorstop of her Logan home by four police officers.

Following an argument, a police officer - who is said to be a trainer in the use of tasers - deployed the weapon.

Ms Oakley underwent surgery last week to remove the taser barb from her eye and will undergo another operation next Monday.

She will have an additional 12 months of treatment and surgery before doctors can say whether she will regain any sight in the damaged eye.

Ms Oakley said the incident happened quickly.

"I said 'can you just back off? Just stay away from me'," she said.

She then told police she would cooperate if they went and found her family.

"So I put the stick down, and as I put one foot in the door, he pulled the taser out. Then he got me. And when he tasered me, he rushed up the stairs - the whole four of them rushed up the stairs - stuck their knee[s] in my back and banged my head up against the wall."

The four men are said to have felt threatened by Ms Oakley.

But Ms Oakley said she wasn’t endangering their lives and their response was unnecessary.

"How could they be in danger when there were four of them up against me? I was the one that was in danger, feeling threatened," she said.

Since the incident, Facebook and Twitter have been flooded with angry comments with many infuriated by what they see is yet another case of brutal police behaviour against an Aboriginal person.

Ms Oakley said she was aware of the social media campaign in her defence and thanked everyone for their support.

"Thank you very much for standing and being there for me - I appreciate it," she said.

Ms Oakley agreed that these reoccurring police incidents had to stop.

"[The police] have got to be stopped, because the next time they do that to another black fella they're going to kill them," she said.

"What if I was pregnant?"

Members of the Logan Murri community are set to gather in Kingston for a public meeting to discuss the incident tonight.

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3 min read
Published 11 February 2014 4:13pm
Updated 12 February 2014 5:35pm
Source: NITV News

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