Barry Phillip Siecker refused bail for allegedly attacking a busker with his own ukulele
Matt “Banana Man” Eberhart has returned with a new ukulele to entertain shoppers and festival-goers in Rundle Mall, undeterred by Wednesday’s attack.
Police & Courts
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A Californian busker says he plans to return to Adelaide’s Fringe Festival every year – despite being bashed with his own ukulele in Rundle Mall.
Matt Eberhart, known as “Banana Man”, was in good spirits busking on Rundle St on Thursday and vowed the alleged assault would not put him off.
“I want to let it be known that this guy isn’t going to stop me coming back again,” said Mr Eberhart, who was dressed as a pencil because his banana suit was still being shipped from Melbourne.
“There’s no reason to fight, we can all just get along and be happy and that’s what I’m going for.”
The improvisational performer said he first came to Adelaide on a whim for the 2018 Fringe after living in Japan for 14 years.
“I just looked on the map and came to Adelaide during the last week of the Fringe, which was completely by chance, and since then I’ve been back every year,” he said as he performed with a new ukulele donated by Jacaranda Music in Norwood.
Hours earlier, Mr Eberhart’s alleged attacker, Barry Phillip Siecker, 29, faced the Adelaide Magistrates Court.
The court was told Siecker was a “menace” to society and a “genuine and real threat to members of the public”.
He is charged with the alleged assault on Wednesday, which left Mr Eberhart bleeding from the forehead.
Siecker, who suffered a broken nose and foot during the brawl, asked the court to grant him bail to live in Murray Bridge. He was already due to face court next week in relation to other violence-related offending.
However, the police prosecutor said Siecker had a criminal history “littered with offences of violence”.
Magistrate David McLeod heard that Mr Eberhart had been performing on Rundle Mall dressed as a pencil and playing a ukulele when he became the victim of an “unprovoked attack”. The court heard Siecker smashed the ukulele on the ground before swinging at the busker. Bystanders intervened and tackled Siecker to the ground and pinned him in place until police arrived.
Siecker claimed Mr Eberhart had made a “racist and inappropriate” comment about an Asian female audience member, the court heard.
His lawyer said he had initially grabbed the ukulele to get Mr Eberhart’s attention and the busker had then “come at him”, forcing him to react.
The court heard police found a 10cm kitchen knife, a meth pipe and a bottle of single malt whisky in Siecker’s possession. Siecker claimed the knife was for his own protection and the whisky had been legally purchased, it heard.
Siecker was refused bail.