Murray Stewart: Cops confiscate blind man's ‘self defence aids’ in Alice Springs

NT Police have confiscated pepper spray and a taser from a blind former deputy mayor in Alice Springs. He is now calling for change to the Weapons Control Act.

Alice Springs resident and former deputy mayor Murray Stewart in the backyard of his Alice Springs home. Picture: Gera Kazakov

A blind Alice Springs man has been left feeling “incredibly vulnerable” after police took his “self defence aids” – a taser and capsicum spray – from his home.

On Tuesday, five police officers visited former deputy mayor Murray Stewart’s home in Alice Springs, where they confiscated a taser and capsicum spray.

Mr Stewart – who was diagnosed as blind at birth – said they were his “self defence aids” to “make sure I was protected”.

Alice Springs resident and former deputy mayor Murray Stewart in the backyard of his Alice Springs home. Picture: Gera Kazakov

“I’ve been hearing a lot about these home invasions, and it didn’t seem to matter how old you were, it didn’t seem to matter what gender you were, it didn’t seem to matter about your own personal circumstances, and that really worried me,” Mr Stewart said.

Within the past fortnight, a woman was woken while being allegedly raped in her Eastside home, a child was almost abducted from their Araluen home, and a mother and her eight-week old baby were flown to Adelaide for treatment after they were struck with a metal pole during an attempted robbery in Larapinta. 

“It was something that I needed to have addressed and I’m a big believer that the one thing that you’ve got to do in these situations is at least get yourself some equity; some sort of equal chance and that’s why I searched for something that would be easy, or easier for me to use,” he said.

Mr Stewart said he recently underwent a quintuple bypass, and suffered two strokes – which left him with brain scarring.

“So all of that put together had made me feel incredibly vulnerable … I’m more vulnerable to a serious, even fatal end-result if I’m attacked,” he said.

“I don’t like it, but it’s a fact.”

However, now Mr Stewart believes he’s even more vulnerable after five police visited his home to remove the weapons.

He’s not the only one to have armed themselves, he said, with many Alice Springs residents “considering their self-defence options”.

Questions from this masthead to Northern Territory Police were directed to an interview police commissioner Michael Murphy conducted with ABC radio on Wednesday morning.

Northern Territory Police Commissioner Michael Murphy chats with Alice Springs residents on Tuesday. Picture: Gera Kazakov

In the interview, Mr Murphy said Mr Stewart had not been charged for possessing the “prohibited weapons”.

He said residents who were facing a home invasion should hide in a “safe room and ring police”, as opposed to arming themselves.

“It’s dangerous to have those weapons because what we will see if he escalates a situation, if a person comes onto the premises, what level of violence might they use against him as well?” Mr Murphy said.

“That’s why they’re prohibited weapons; they’re usually in the hands of law enforcement officers.”

Police-issued capsicum spray.

But Mr Stewart said he was not convinced.

He said he wanted to see the NT Weapons Control Act amended so an exemption can be applied to vulnerable members of the community, who want to defend themselves.

Currently, under the Act, correctional officers, serving defence force personnel, serving police officers and customs officers can hold prohibited weapons, under the regulations of their relevant service Acts.

A Northern Territory government spokesperson said “we understand that people are angry and fearful, but we ask that residents follow the advice of the NT Police”.

“While we understand the concerns of Alice Springs residents regarding personal safety, any weapon that falls into the wrong hands poses a significant risk to individuals and the broader community,” they said.

Originally published as Murray Stewart: Cops confiscate blind man's ‘self defence aids’ in Alice Springs