Taylor Swift’s Father Scott Swift not charged over alleged assault

Taylor Swift’s father, Scott Swift, will not be charged following allegations he assaulted an Australian photographer following a night of celebration with the singer during her Eras Tour in Sydney.

Swift had performed her last Australian show of The Eras Tour when the alleged incident occurred in the early hours of February 27, 2024.

At the time, an investigation was launched by New South Wales Police Force in Sydney, Australia after Scott, 71, allegedly attacked a man named Ben McDonald at a ferry wharf in the early hours of Tuesday, February 27, local time, according to Page Six.

Swift and her father were disembarking from a luxury yacht when Scott allegedly got into a physical altercation with McDonald, 55, at 2.30 a. m.

An investigation into the alleged incident was launched by the North Shore Police Command. However, New South Wales Police have since confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that no further action was taken over the incident.

“She got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces, and then he charged,” McDonald alleged to the Daily Mail Australia after the incident, claiming that Scott’s actions were unprovoked.

In response to McDonald’s allegations, Swift’s rep said in a statement to Us Weekly, “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.”

In an audio clip obtained by the outlet, both Scott and a security guard can be heard telling McDonald not to touch the umbrella that Taylor was trying to hide under as they left the yacht.

In photos from the night, Scott is holding onto his daughter’s hand as she tries to shield herself from the cameras.

Related: Before Confronting Taylor Swift’s Dad, Photog Was Sued by Nicole Kidman

Scott Swift isn’t the only notable name who has experienced an issue with Australian photographer Ben McDonald. Nicole Kidman was granted a restraining order against photographers McDonald and Jamie Fawcett in 2005 after an electronic listening device was discovered outside her house, according to a report from People at the time. (The order was ultimately […]

Scott accompanied Taylor for much of her sold-out Era’s Tour, and days before the alleged altercation, he had been praised by fans for handing out sandwiches during the Friday, February 23, concert during the Midnights portion of the show. “Papa Swift giving out sandwiches and fruits,” one fan captioned a TikTok video of Scott’s fan interaction.

In the clip, Taylor’s father told fans seated on the floor of Accor Stadium to “help yourself” while holding a tray full of food near the VIP tent. To help fans out, he placed a small light on the tray in order for people to better see the selection of sandwiches.

Taylor recently took a holiday break in the Bahamas with Kelce after a weekend in Los Angeles following a pause in her Eras Tour schedule.