Nicole Kidman was granted a restraining order against the paparazzo at the centre of Taylor Swift’s dad’s assault allegation.
Nicole Kidman was granted a restraining order against the paparazzo at the centre of Taylor Swift’s dad’s assault allegation
The ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ actress, 56, won her court battle against freelance photographer Ben McDonald and his friend Jamie Fawcett in January 2005 after a listening device was found on her Sydney property – with a judge at the time ordering the pair to stay at least 60 feet away from the A-lister and her home after she claimed they made her fear for her safety and feel like a prisoner in her house.
Page Six reported the case after Ben, 51, alleged he was attacked by ‘Bad Blood;’ singer Taylor’s 71-year-old dad Scott Swift, at Sydney’s North Shore early on Tuesday (27.02.24.)
The photographer told the Daily Mail Taylor and her father were leaving a party on a ferry wharf around 2.30am when Scott “charged” toward him and hit him on the left side of his face.
Ben insists he did nothing to provoke the alleged attack, adding: “He probably decided he needed to defend his daughter, for some reason. In 23 years I have never seen anything like it.”
Paparazzi snaps taken at the time of the incident showed Taylor and her dad clutching one another while leaving the dock as the singer covered herself with a black umbrella while flanked by two security guards who flashed a light at the the snappers.
Footage obtained by Daily Mail also showed the alleged attack, with the paparazzo’s video camera jolting as two people seemingly ran into each other while Taylor and Scott got into a car.
A man could be heard stumbling in the clip as a voice asks: “Who was that dude?”
But Taylor’s team have said the bust-up was the result of two people acting “aggressively”.
They said in a statement: “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.”
Local police from the New South Wales force confirmed a 71-year-old man – who they did not name – allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf at about 2.30am.
Cops added the alleged victim, who reported the incident, did not require any medical treatment.
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