Heaven knows Morrissey is miserable now
All roads lead to Rome, but some are one-way, as pop star discovered when he was ‘terrorised by officer’
THE singer Morrissey believed he was about to be shot during a confrontation in Rome with a “dangerously aggressive” police officer whom he accused of pulling a gun. The former frontman for The Smiths said he was “terrorised” for more than half an hour during the altercation with the officer in the historic centre of the capital.
Morrissey and his nephew were stopped by a police motorbike patrol this week after driving the wrong way along Via del Corso, one of the capital’s main shopping boulevards, in a Fiat 500.
A police officer demanded to see Morrissey’s “papers” – common practice in Italy, where people generally carry a national identity card in their wallet or purse. But the 58-year-old pop star said he was not carrying any identification and an argument ensued, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Morrissey claimed the “insane” police officer drew his firearm and behaved in a highly aggressive manner.
The episode was recounted by his nephew, Sam Esty Rayner, a photographer, who took a picture of the officer and posted it on Facebook.
He said the officer had “terrorised his uncle for 35 minutes”, demanding papers. “Morrissey had no papers. The officer then said: ‘I know who you are.’ Morrissey replied: ‘I know the law, I know my rights, and you have no reason to stop me.’ The officer shouted very loudly and a crowd of people gathered. The officer held his gun throughout the confrontation. After 35 minutes, Morrissey walked away, and the officer did not follow.”
In a statement, the musician, whose full name is Steven Patrick Morrissey, said: “This was a deliberate act of terror by this officer. I had not broken the law or acted suspiciously. The officer unlocked his gun and held it as he screamed into my face.
“This happened outside the Nike store, and many people filmed the obviously insane officer. I believe he recognised me and wanted to frighten me. I did not back down even though I believed he was about to shoot me. I urge people to beware of this dangerously aggressive officer. He might kill you.”
Morrissey announced that he had cancelled several concerts in Italy in September, saying: “Obviously, with psychopaths like this on the loose, it is not safe for me to be in Italy.”
The police offered a very different account of the argument. In a statement, the city police department said that in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London, Paris and elsewhere in Europe, officers in Rome were on high alert. Via del Corso leads to Piazza del Popolo, a large open space framed by Renaissance churches and a tempting soft target for any terrorist wanting to strike the city.
Police said the car driven by Morrissey’s nephew was travelling fast and the wrong way when it entered Via del Corso, which was packed with shoppers. They said from the moment the car was pulled over, Morrissey was obstructive, insisting he was not obliged to prove his identity.