Taylor Swift’s dad has escaped charges after an Australian photographer accused him of punching him in the face following the superstar’s final show in Sydney.
Swift had performed her last Aussie show of The Eras Tour when the alleged incident occurred in the early hours of February 27.
She and her father, Scott Swift, 71, had travelled from Homebush on a luxury yacht to the ferry wharf in Neutral Bay where Scott was then accused of punching waiting photographer Ben McDonald, 51.
An investigation into the alleged incident was launched by the North Shore Police Command.
NSW Police have since confirmed to Daily Mail Australia no further action was taken over the incident.
Taylor Swift and her father, Scott Swift, 71, had travelled from Homebush on a luxury yacht to the ferry wharf in Neutral Bay where Scott was then accused of punching photographer Ben McDonald, 51, in the face
At the time, a spokeswoman for Taylor Swift told Daily Mail Australia the photographers were being ‘aggressive’.
‘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,’ she said.
However, Mr McDonald – the chief executive of Matrix Media Group – slammed the statement as ‘utter rubbish’ and said the only female at the scene was Taylor.
Mr McDonald said: ‘This is the sort of bulls**t I might expect.’
‘Which female was that? The only one there was Taylor.’
The alleged incident occurred after Swift’s final show in Australia for The Eras Tour
Footage from the moments before the alleged altercation showed Scott walking up the wharf while giving photographers the middle finger.
Mr McDonald said the alleged altercation was caught on camera and did not show the photographers acting aggressively.
He originally thought it was a security guard and was shocked when he realised the alleged attacker was the pop star’s dad.
Mr McDonald also said he didn’t know what triggered the alleged assault.
‘In 23 years of taking pictures, I have never seen anything like it,’ he said.
Matrix Media photographer Ben McDonald (pictured) was allegedly struck in the face by Taylor Swift’s father, Scott
‘She got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces.’
Footage of the alleged incident showed Taylor and her father walking up from the wharf with large umbrellas blocking the view.
Mr McDonald started shooting when a security guard could be heard telling him not to touch the umbrella.
The photographer did not require medical attention but said he was left with ‘very sore chops’ on the left side of his face.
Scott has been a fixture by his daughter’s side throughout her sold-out Eras Tour.
He has been praised for handing out sandwiches to fans in the middle of a Sydney show, saying ‘help yourselves’.
The day before Taylor’s first show in Melbourne last month, extra tickets were released but most had a restricted view of the stage.
Scott walked around handing out VIP passes so excited fans would have access to better seats.
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