Police Tape, Blue Sirens: Cop Tracy Linford stalked by infatuated criminal

He was a tomahawk-wielding husband betrayed by his wife and a mate. She was the cop simply trying to handle his assault case with respect. What he did next was as bizarre as it was scary. HEAR THE PODCAST

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He was the anguished axe-wielding maniac and she was the cop locking him up.

But instead of hating her for hauling him before the courts, the offender fell head over heels in love with the woman in uniform.

Tracy Linford can see the funny side now, but being the target of an infatuated crim “got a bit scary”. Picture: Jono Searle.

It was early in the career of Queensland’s Deputy Police Commissioner Tracy Linford when she was sent to investigate a serious fight ending up in an assault.

She discovered that the fight was between two men and one had attacked the other with a tomahawk, after discovering his mate was having sex with his wife.

But the case took an unexpected twist when the tomahawk-wielding man caught a glimpse of Detective Linford.

Tracy Linford has worked on cases across two states, rising to Deputy Commissioner in Queensland. Picture: Annette Dew

“Those sorts of things do happen to police officers from time to time. The stalking one is probably a funny one when I think about it,” she said

“I had a case where two Italian men had got into a bad fight but one of them had attacked the other with a tomahawk after he found out that his mate had been having a sexual relationship with his wife.

“I got to know him quite well and I was respectful of him and treated him with … you should treat everyone with respect.

“So I’d like to think I’d do that with all of my offenders as well as everyone else I come into contact with.

“Anyway for some reason he developed some sort of infatuation for me and everywhere I went he seemed to be turning up and flowers were turning up at the office and also he declared his love for me.

“So it got a bit scary at one point because in the end I had to become quite stern with him, saying this not going to develop into anything.

“You have to understand you are going to court for these offences. And I’m not going to be your next love interest.

“So yeah, quite comical in a way. But yes, he developed an infatuation for me simply because I had been nice to him.”

Deputy Commissioner Linford revealed the story in the second instalment of Police Tape podcast series — Blue Sirens.

The podcast series talks to five policewomen around the country including detectives who worked on Melbourne’s gangland murders, the top cop dubbed the gang buster for smashing her way through the nation’s network of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australia’s first female bomb technician and an FBI-trained criminal profiler.

Deputy Commissioner Linford has spoken about her extensive policing career across two states including her most memorable cases and the single case she never solved.

Tracy Linford previously served with Victoria Police. Picture: Brendan Francis

During her career she has been stalked, harassed and received death threats from an offender she locked up years before.

She recalls that out of the blue one day she received a phone call from a man asking “Is that Tracy Linford?”.

When she replied yes, he said,: “I’m coming to kill you, so be ready, because your life is soon to end.”

EPISODE ONE

EPISODE TWO

CATCH UP ON POLICE TAPE: SERIES ONE

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Originally published as Police Tape, Blue Sirens: Cop Tracy Linford stalked by infatuated criminal