By Erin Pearson
The Melbourne woman accused of assaulting independent senator Lidia Thorpe outside an AFL game has been the victim of threats since she was charged, a court has heard.
Ebony Jan Bell, 28, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court via a video link on Monday after being charged with allegedly assaulting Thorpe following the Essendon-Richmond game at the MCG in May, during the AFL’s Indigenous round.
Senator Lidia Thorpe.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Defence barrister Emanuele Nicolosi told the court his client could not attend the hearing in person due to the nature of the alleged threats she had received since being charged with unlawful assault and recklessly causing injury.
Nicolosi also challenged the strength of the case against his client, and said public statements made by Thorpe might not be referencing Bell’s case.
Accused: Ebony Bell.
Last week, a police spokesperson said a Preston woman had been charged with assaulting another woman outside the MCG about 10.30pm on May 25.
Police said the incident was reported at Melbourne East police station on May 26, and that the complainant allegedly suffered minor injuries.
Bell was arrested on July 25 and charged with two counts of recklessly causing injury and three counts of unlawful assault relating to Thorpe and three others at the same location, according to the court.
Last week, Thorpe defended missing more than a third of sitting days in the Senate and participating in less than half the formal votes since the last election, when she revealed she needed surgery after an assault this year.
Thorpe last week did not reveal the details of the assault, but said she had been attacked at a public event and that the matter was being investigated by police.
“I sustained serious nerve and spinal injuries in my neck, which required spinal surgery and a plate to be inserted. There’s a scar on the front of my neck from this,” Thorpe said in a statement on Friday.
“I was ordered by the doctor not to travel and could not attend parliament after I sustained the injury and during recovery from surgery. My doctor told me to take time off work.”
Magistrate Belinda Franjic extended Bell’s bail and ordered her to return to court next month.
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