AFL: Melbourne supporter to be charged after punching disabled Hawthorn fan
A man is expected to be charged with assault after he allegedly attacked a disabled Hawthorn fan.
A man is expected to be charged with assault after he allegedly attacked a disabled Hawthorn fan after Saturday’s AFL match in Melbourne.
The alleged assault happened after the game between the Melbourne Demons and the Hawthorn Hawks at the MCG on Saturday.
The boys share their thoughts about a fighting incident from yesterday's match.#9AFLSFS pic.twitter.com/FaH3qYezVJ
— Sunday Footy Show (@SunFootyShow) May 5, 2019
Footage aired on the Seven Network last night showed a man dressed in a Melbourne guernsey repeatedly punching and pushing 31-year-old Hawthorn fan Ben Ploegmakers, before bystanders stepped in.
Mr Ploegmakers, who has an intellectual disability, said the violence began after the alleged attacker called him a “retard” and a “spastic”, and he retaliated by throwing the man’s beer at him.
“I shouldn’t have thrown the beer on him, but he shouldn’t have called me a retard or a spastic,” he told Seven.
“It’s pretty scary. It’s just terrifying. He could have seriously hurt me.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was just lying on the ground while I was getting hit in the head and kicked.”
Victoria Police said a 34-year-old Baxter man had been interviewed and was expected to be charged with assault offences.
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