Watch Australian woman calmly stub out cigarette in reporter's face, get arrested

An unidentified Australian woman pokes a lit cigarette into a reporters face

(Image credit: Reuters/YouTube)

last updated 9 June 2015

There are lots of acceptable ways to avoid answering questions from reporters — "no comment," repeatedly, is probably the best — but jabbing them with lighted cigarettes isn't one of them. On Sunday, a 23-year-old woman pushing a baby stroller was leaving court in Caboolture, Australia, after apparently testifying in support of Stevee Jane Kennedy, a woman accused of fatally stabbing an ex-boyfriend. She lit a cigarette, then apparently stubbed it out in the face of 9News reporter Alex Bernhardt, adding with a smile, "Get out of my way."

The incident was captured on camera, as was the follow-up, where police detained the young woman and charged her with public nuisance. "We go to day, just like everybody else," Bernhardt said after the burn. "We certainly shouldn't have to deal with this." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.