Taylor Swift’s dad accused of punching photographer in Sydney, police investigating
A photographer in Australia filed a police complaint against Taylor Swift’s father, alleging that Scott Swift punched him as the singer left a concert afterparty on the Sydney waterfront early Tuesday.
After a partial stadium evacuation delayed Taylor Swift’s first Sydney concert, she powered through the show attended by Travis Kelce, Katy Perry and Rita Ora.
According to the Associated Press, veteran photographer Ben McDonald, 51, told police he was punched in the face by Swift’s father at the Neutral Bay Wharf on Tuesday, hours after the pop star’s Australian tour ended.
McDonald told CNN that he learned the singer was aboard a yacht in Sydney Harbor following her final Eras tour show there on Monday. He claimed that when Swift disembarked the yacht, a security guard forced an umbrella into his face and camera.
He alleged that Swift’s father, 71, punched him and also accused the superstar’s entourage of being “aggressive and unprofessional.”
But Swift’s camp is denying that characterization.
“Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,” a spokesperson for the “Anti-Hero” and “Shake It Off” singer said.
The spokesperson did not further comment on Scott Swift’s alleged actions.
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New South Wales Police confirmed to The Times that they are investigating an alleged assault on Sydney’s North Shore from early Tuesday morning.
“Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 February 2024), before leaving the location,” a media officer said. “The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command.”
The photographer did not require medical treatment, the officer said.
McDonald, who had a restraining order filed against him by Oscar winner Nicole Kidman in 2005, told the AP that he decided to report the recent incident to police despite not being seriously injured.
“It was just a punch in the chops. It’s a little tender, but I don’t have any bruising and it didn’t require medical assistance,” McDonald said
TMZ obtained snippets of footage around the incident, which shows the 14-time Grammy Award winner being accompanied to her vehicle by her father while she’s concealed by a large black umbrella. A scuffle ensues but it’s unclear where her father is during the crush.
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After performing three Eras tour shows in Melbourne earlier this month, Swift performed four back-to-back concerts in Sydney from Friday to Monday and was joined by her Super Bowl champ boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce.
Next, the tour jets off to Singapore for six concerts in early March. After that, the Eras tour heads to Paris on May 9 and travels through Europe until August. The billion-dollar, history-making tour then returns to the United States in October before wrapping with a three-night stint in Toronto in early December.
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