Dashcam footage contradicts police account in Shepparton tasering, as national misuse inquiry widens

Key facts

• Stephen was tasered multiple times and capsicum sprayed within two minutes of leaving his car on his family farm in Shepparton.
• Victoria Police said Stephen was known to them with 'safety warnings in place' and described his approach as 'aggressive'.
• Tiejwana, a 16-year-old with multiple disabilities, was tasered at her special school in Townsville during a police interview about a sexual assault.
• New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland have all recorded significant increases in taser incidents in recent years.
• Queensland Police is investing $47 million in new taser devices.
• Criminologist Emma Ryan warns of 'mission creep' as taser use extends beyond life-threatening situations.

A routine farm check ends in a taser barrage

Stephen, a man with an acquired brain injury, was finishing his evening chores on the family farm in Shepparton when he noticed a vehicle behind him. Thinking it was his brother, he pulled over near the fruit orchard and stepped out of his blue 1990s Ford. Two police officers emerged from the other car. He raised his hands and told them, 'I'm on private property.' One officer shouted back, 'Get on the ground or I'll taser you.' Stephen kept asking why. Within 30 seconds, he was tasered. Dash cams he had installed a fortnight earlier captured the entire encounter. Police tasered him multiple times, sprayed him with capsicum, then restrained and handcuffed him on the ground. Less than two minutes had elapsed since he left his car. 'There was nothing I could do. I couldn't talk to him. He just wasn't listening,' Stephen told Four Corners.

Police defend actions, but footage tells a different story

Victoria Police stated that Stephen was known to them and that 'safety warnings were in place.' They claimed officers stopped him 'when a vehicle with its headlights off sped away as police approached' and that the vehicle was 'originally sighted on a public road.' A spokesperson described Stephen's actions in the dashcam footage as 'walking towards the officers in an aggressive state.' Local police management reviewed the incident and found the officers' actions appropriate. But the dashcam footage contradicts the official narrative, showing Stephen with his hands up and asking why he was being ordered to the ground. The case has become a flashpoint in a broader debate about police reliance on tasers.

A disabled teenager tasered at her special school

In a separate incident in Townsville, Tiejwana, a 16-year-old girl with multiple disabilities, was tasered by police at her special school. Officers had arrived to interview her about a potential sexual assault. When she became overwhelmed, they deployed a taser. Her mother expressed confusion and outrage. 'Why would they taser a girl with a disability, at a disability school?' she asked. The case has intensified scrutiny of police tactics, particularly when dealing with vulnerable individuals.

Taser incidents surge across three states

Data from New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland show a significant increase in taser incidents over recent years. Despite the devices being originally intended for life-threatening situations, critics argue they are now used in routine encounters. Criminologist Emma Ryan describes this as 'mission creep' — the gradual expansion of taser use beyond its intended purpose. Police forces in every state and territory are expanding their taser inventories. Queensland Police alone is investing $47 million in new devices. Officials defend the weapons as a necessary tactical option for managing potentially dangerous situations.

Calls for accountability grow louder

The investigation has raised fundamental questions about police training, oversight, and the threshold for using force. Advocates for people with disabilities point out that both Stephen and Tiejwana were vulnerable individuals who should have been de-escalated, not shocked. The fact that a man with a brain injury was tasered on his own property, and a disabled girl at her school, suggests systemic failures. Police officials continue to insist that tasers save lives by providing an alternative to firearms. But the evidence of misuse — captured on dashcams and documented in police data — is mounting. The conversation about police practices and accountability regarding taser use is far from over.

What comes next: policy reviews and public pressure

The cases have prompted calls for independent reviews of taser policies and mandatory body-worn cameras for all officers. Some states are already reviewing their use-of-force guidelines. The federal government has not yet commented on whether it will intervene. For Stephen and Tiejwana's families, the immediate goal is to prevent similar incidents. 'There was nothing I could do,' Stephen said. His dashcam footage, now public, may force the change that words alone could not.

The bottom line

• Stephen was tasered multiple times and capsicum sprayed on his own farm in Shepparton within two minutes; dashcam footage contradicts police claims of aggressive behavior.
• Tiejwana, a 16-year-old with multiple disabilities, was tasered at her special school in Townsville during a police interview about a sexual assault.
• Taser incidents are rising sharply in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, despite devices being intended for life-threatening situations.
• Queensland Police is spending $47 million on new tasers, even as critics warn of 'mission creep' and over-reliance.
• Criminologist Emma Ryan and disability advocates argue that police training and accountability have not kept pace with the expansion of taser use.