Moira Deeming's assault allegation against Matthew Guy and Liberal Party response
Consensus Summary
Moira Deeming, a Liberal Party MP, accused her colleague Matthew Guy of assault during a May community event, claiming he put her in a headlock. Police reviewed CCTV footage and found no offence detected. Deeming refused to apologise, leading the party to seek to revoke her preselection for the upcoming Victorian election. She has appealed to the party and filed for an injunction in the Supreme Court, with a trial scheduled for Friday. Guy has threatened defamation action. Both sources agree on the core allegations, police findings, and Deemingâs refusal to apologise, though details about the nature of the incident and her statements vary. The Age highlights broader implications for womenâs credibility in assault claims, while ABC focuses on Deemingâs legal and partyroom strategy.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Moira Deeming accused Matthew Guy of assault at a community function in May
- Victoria Police reviewed CCTV footage and found no offence detected in the incident
- Moira Deeming posted a video message to supporters on Facebook almost two weeks after the complaint was made public
- Moira Deeming refused to apologise to Matthew Guy for her allegation
- Matthew Guy has threatened defamation action against Moira Deeming
- Moira Deeming's Supreme Court injunction trial is scheduled for Friday
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Moira Deeming described Guyâs grip as feeling 'like someone smashed me in the base of my skull with a wine bottle'
- Deeming was suspended from the Liberal Party in 2023
- A Federal Court judge ruled in 2024 that Bruce Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins
- Deeming said she had never used the word 'violent' in her report to police
- Deeming posted her video message on Tuesday afternoon
- The Liberals have been haemorrhaging voters to One Nation for a decade
- Moira Deeming proposed a joint statement with the party clarifying Guyâs actions were 'a friendly gesture in a noisy environment'
- Moira Deemingâs lawyer wrote to police in July complaining her allegation was dismissed without speaking to her
- Moira Deeming said she was 'grabbed, held and pulled with force that caused me pain and distress'
- Moira Deeming accused Guy of putting his hand on her back during a conversation at the function
- Moira Deeming said she was 'directed to report it' but doubted it would meet the threshold for an offence
- Moira Deeming successfully sued former opposition leader John Pesutto for defamation earlier in her term
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Age says Deeming described Guyâs grip as a 'headlock,' while ABC says she later accepted Guy did not put her in a headlock
- The Age states Deemingâs complaint was made public almost two weeks before her Facebook post, but ABC does not specify the timeline for the public complaint
- The Age mentions Deemingâs suspension in 2023, but ABC does not reference this specific timeline
Source Articles
In bringing a machine gun to a knife fight, Deeming has set back the cause of women
For someone who says she wants the world to be a safer place for women and girls, Liberal MP Moira Deeming sure has a funny way of going about it.
Moira Deeming makes last-ditch plea to Liberal Party to retain candidacy
Victorian MP Moira Deeming faces being disendorsed as a Liberal candidate for refusing to apologise to former party leader Matthew Guy, after accusing him of assaulting her at a community event in May.