The American singer, Taylor Swift’s father, has found himself in the center of a controversy as he is alleged to have assaulted a paparazzi in Australia. Following a complaint by a photographer, an investigation was launched on Tuesday. The photographer claims that he was attacked by Taylor Swift’s father who seemingly has grown intolerable of the paparazzi.
Alicia McCumstie, a police spokeswoman, reported that the police received information about an alleged assault on a 51-year-old man by a 71-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf, a ferry terminal in the northern part of Sydney. After the alleged assault, the accused was said to have departed from the scene. The incident was reported by the younger man and an investigation is underway, she added.
While the Australian police typically do not disclose the identities of the individuals under investigation, both a police source and the alleged victim, photographer Ben McDonald, have identified the accused as Scott Swift, father of pop star Taylor Swift.
Ben McDonald alleges that he was photographing Taylor Swift on a yacht in Sydney Harbor after her city tour when her security team attempted to hinder him by using an umbrella to block his shots. This was as the singer was descending to the pier to board a vehicle.
Following his exit, McDonald claims to have been struck in the ribs by an unidentified man. He later identified the man as Taylor Swift’s father from photographs where he was seen holding her hand. McDonald expressed his shock about the incident, stating that such an incident had never occurred in his 26 years of experience.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Taylor Swift stated that there was a confrontation involving pushing and shoving on the waterfront by unidentified individuals. The spokesperson alleged that two individuals aggressively approached Taylor, grabbed her security personnel, and threatened to throw an employee into the water. However, the spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied Scott Swift’s involvement, nor provided any further clarification on the matter.
The police have not disclosed whether Scott Swift was contacted or questioned before he left the scene. The incident sparked a wave of support from the singer’s fans on social media, who were quick to defend “Papa Swift”.
Meanwhile, the mega-star is in the midst of her “Eras Tour” world tour, which is expected to generate a total revenue of two billion dollars. The tour has already broken records by crossing the one-billion-dollar mark last year, a first in music history. The singer is set to continue her tour in Singapore this week.
