Photographer Alleges Taylor Swift’s Father Punched Him on Sydney Waterfront, Claims The Denver Post
MELBOURNE, Australia — A photographer reported to the police that he was punched in the face by Taylor Swift’s father at the Sydney waterfront on Tuesday, shortly after the conclusion of the pop star’s Australian tour.
Ben McDonald stated that he gave the police a statement accusing Scott Swift of assaulting him at the Neutral Bay Wharf, where the father and daughter had just disembarked from a yacht.
The experienced paparazzo disclosed that he decided to inform the police about the incident even though he was not seriously injured.
“It was just a punch in the chops. It’s a bit sore, but I have no bruises and didn’t need medical attention,” McDonald explained.
“In my 23 years of experience, I’ve never been attacked or punched in the face, especially by the talent’s father,” he added.
Taylor Swift’s spokesperson blamed members of the media for being aggressive during the altercation.
“Two individuals were forcefully moving towards Taylor, grabbing at her security team, and threatening to push a female staff member into the water,” the representative stated in an email.
The New South Wales Police Force media office confirmed that they were investigating the alleged assault of a 51-year-old man by a 71-year-old man at 2:30 a.m. Names were not released per policy for such claims.
Taylor Swift departed the country on a private jet on Tuesday, following the conclusion of over 600,000 fans attending the Australian leg of her Eras Tour at seven stadium concerts.
McDonald revealed that media personnel were waiting to take photos of the star as she walked with her group from the jetty to two waiting cars.
“Around four or five security personnel were there and at one stage, one of the American security guards began pushing his umbrella into me and my camera before Taylor got into her car,” McDonald shared with The Associated Press.
“Another individual then ran towards me and hit me in the left side of my face. Initially, I thought it was an Australian security personnel trying to impress the Americans, but it turned out to be her father,” McDonald added.
McDonald realized that the person who allegedly assaulted him was not part of the security team after seeing a photo of him holding hands with Swift while reviewing photos from the evening. He later identified Scott Swift from an online image.
McDonald stated that there was no reason for the violence.
“We didn’t rush down the jetty. We didn’t rush to the back of the boat. We waited for her to come up. Kept it very civil,” he remarked.
“But no, they had to be rude and put up umbrellas and shove them in our faces, then try to make it seem like we were the ones making contact with them,” he concluded.
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