February 27, 2024, 01:43 GMT
Updated 35 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
image description,
Taylor Swift with her father Scott
Australian police are investigating a paparazzo's allegation that he was assaulted by Taylor Swift's father.
Ben McDonald, 51, accused Scott Swift, 71, of punching himself in the face on a Sydney wharf. He didn't need medical attention.
The confrontation occurred on Tuesday after Mr Swift and the pop megastar got off a boat.
A spokesman for the singer did not address the assault allegations but said two people had behaved aggressively towards her, local media reported.
A video released by Australian media shows the singer hiding under an umbrella walking along Neutral Bay Wharf with her father and security guards at around 2:30 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. GMT Monday).
Cameras flash before two voices – reportedly a photographer and a security guard – accuse each other of touching umbrellas. It is unclear whether the footage captures the alleged incident.
Mr McDonald told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the singer was getting into a car when Mr Swift attacked him.
“In the 23 years I've been doing this, I've never been attacked by a father, let alone hit in the face,” he said.
The singer's rep said: “Two people aggressively pushed towards Taylor, grabbed her security guards and threatened to throw a female staff member into the water.”
Swift had just performed the final Australian concert of her hugely popular Eras tour.
“The younger man reported the incident and an investigation is currently underway by officers from the North Shore Police Area Command,” New South Wales Police said in a statement.