Ben McDonald, who claims Scott Swift attacked him at Neutral Bay Wharf following her last concert in Sydney, says he'd be willing to forgive if Scott issued an apology.
- Feb 28, 2024
AceShowbiz - The photographer who accused Taylor Swift's dad of assault demands an apology from him. Ben McDonald says he'd be willing to forgive and let bygones be bygones if Scott Swift just issued an apology to him.
Ben alleged that Scott roughed him up on Tuesday, February 27 local time as Taylor and her entourage were walking off Neutral Bay Wharf in Sydney's North Shore hours after her last performance in the city. As she and her dad were heading to their car, Ben said Scott and the singer's security guards got physical with him.
He claimed Scott struck him on the left side of the face, leaving him with "very sore chops." The NSW Police Force noted that Ben did not require medical treatment though.
Taylor's team later put the blame for the incident on the "aggressive" paparazzi. "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 Grammy winner said in a statement to news outlets.
Ben has slammed the statement as "utter rubbish." The chief executive of Matrix Media Group told Daily Mail, "This is the sort of bulls**t I might expect," claiming that the only woman at the scene was Taylor.
Ben also insists that the footage that he recorded himself speaks for themselves, though it did not show Scott punching him as he claimed. Another video capturing the incident from another angle has also surfaced online, but it still doesn't prove that Scott got physical with the photog.
As reported before, police are currently investigating the alleged assault. "The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command," they said in a statement.
In other news, it's revealed that Ben was previously involved in another high-profile pap run-in with Nicole Kidman. The Australian actress was granted a restraining order against Ben and another photographer in 2005 after a listening device was found on her Sydney property.
Ben, however, tells TMZ that the story is old and sensationalized. He also denies planting any listening device near Nicole at the time and insists that a judge didn't find enough evidence to grant the "Big Little Lies" star a permanent restraining order after they took a closer look at her claims.
