Published on February 27, 2024 at 1:58 pm.
Taylor Swift’s father accused of violence by paparazzi – © Arroyo-O’Connor/AFF/ABACA
This Tuesday, February 27, an investigation was launched by Sydney police against Scott Swift, Taylor Swift’s father. The latter has been accused of physical violence by a paparazzi.
The Swift family is in turmoil. This Tuesday, February 27, an investigation was launched against Taylor Swift’s father Scott Swift by police in Sydney, Australia. The 71-year-old man is accused of assaulting paparazzi Ben Macdonald around 2:30am on Monday-Tuesday. The incidents reportedly happened just hours after Taylor Swift’s last concert in Sydney. To celebrate the show, the artist invited his loved ones and his team for a party on a yacht. Unfortunately, the evening quickly got out of hand.
Like every one of her travels, Taylor Swift is followed by many paparazzi. That evening, the “Shake It Off” singer could not escape the crowd of lenses and paparazzi Ben McDonald covered the singer’s evening. According to her testimony, reported by the “Australian Broadcasting Corporation”, Taylor Swift’s security members tried to hide her with umbrellas when she returned to her vehicle, thus preventing her from taking photographs.
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The photographer then claimed that after the car drove away, the singer’s father hit him: “At one point, Scott Swift© came into the ground. He charged at me and hit me on the face. “A physical attack that shocked and surprised Ben McDonald, who initially believed it was a “poorly trained and unprofessional” security agent who had attacked him. Before realizing it was actually Scott Swift was attacked. “I didn’t know who he was but I looked at the pictures and saw he was holding Taylor’s hand and he was her father. It was a shock, that had never happened to me in 26 years, ” the paparazzi told Australian media.
Taylor Swift’s team breaks silence
Hours after this controversy and Ben McDonald’s statements, a spokesperson for Taylor Swift spoke out. The latter claims that during the evening, there was a number of aggressive behavior and pushing and shoving from a group of attendees that evening: “Two individuals approached Taylor aggressively, grabbed her security personnel and punched an employee. Threatened to throw water in,” the spokesperson said. However, there has been no comment or mention of Scott Swift’s actions.
Since then, Taylor Swift and her loved ones have left Australia for Singapore to continue her world tour “The Eras Tour”. However, Australian police confirmed that the investigation was ongoing. On social networks, fans of the singer immediately took up the matter and showed their support for the family by calling the artist’s father “Papa Swift”.