Senator Lidia Thorpe alleges she was assaulted at AFL game, police lay charges
Police have charged a woman who allegedly assaulted Senator Lidia Thorpe following a Dreamtime AFL game this year, after she disclosed details of the alleged incident to defend her parliament attendance.
Victoria
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Charges have been laid against a 27-year-old woman for the alleged assault of firebrand Senator Lidia Thorpe after the Dreamtime AFL game between Essendon and Richmond in May this year.
The Herald Sun can reveal the woman — understood to be known to Senator Thorpe in some capacity — was charged with multiple counts of assault over the alleged incident, outside the MCG.
Details of the complaint are not clear but sources have said Senator Thorpe complained about her hair being pulled.
A police spokesperson said Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit detectives charged a Preston woman with two counts of recklessly cause injury and three counts of unlawful assault.
“Investigators allege that a woman assaulted another woman outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground after an AFL match about 10.30pm,” the spokeswoman said.
“The incident was reported at Melbourne East Police Station on 26 May.
“The woman sustained minor injuries during the incident.”
The accused woman was bailed to appear before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 28.
It comes as Senator Thorpe said she’d been “pushed to disclose” that she’d sustained a serious spinal injury as a result of an alleged assault at the MCG after the paper questioned her sporadic attendance in parliament since she left the Greens.
The Australian reported Senator Thorpe attended 28 of 44 sitting days and has voted in 222 of 493 divisions so far this year.
Last year she was present for 38 of 66 sitting days (58 per cent) and voted in 206 of 558 divisions (37 per cent).
She hit back at the reports, claiming to have required spinal surgery.
“Earlier this year I was assaulted at the MCG. I sustained serious nerve and spinal injuries in my neck, which required spinal surgery and a plate to be inserted in the back of my neck,” she said.
“There’s a scar on the front of my neck from this. I was ordered by the doctor not to travel and could not attend parliament. My doctor told me to take time off work. There is currently a police investigation under way.
“It’s unfortunate that I have been pushed to disclose this to defend myself, when I would have preferred to keep this private, but that’s just another day in the colony for you.”
It comes after a letter emerged showing Ms Thorpe had “respectfully” requested a personal meeting with King Charles to discuss a path to Treaty more than a year ago.
The outspoken Senator was on Thursday branded “the most loathed woman in parliament” after her controversial outburst this week during King Charles’ fist visit to Australia since his coronation.
She cried “f*** the colony” and “you are not my king” before being escorted from Parliament House’s Great Hall during a ceremony in Canberra on Monday.
Ms Thorpe – a Djab Wurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjama woman – is a leader of the Blak Sovereign Movement and fierce critic of colonialism.
Originally published as Senator Lidia Thorpe alleges she was assaulted at AFL game, police lay charges
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