AFL players Dion Prestia and Steven May have violence charges dropped after Sorrento brawl allegations
Consensus Summary
Charges against AFL players Dion Prestia and Steven May were dropped on May 8, 2026, after prosecutors withdrew allegations of their involvement in a Boxing Day 2024 brawl in Sorrento. The incident, which left two men hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, was described as a streetside altercation between two competing groups. Both men denied involvement, and the case relied on conflicting witness testimony, with some witnesses claiming they were not present. Magistrate Tony Burns dismissed the charges in Frankston Court, and prosecutors were ordered to cover the players' legal costs. Prestia, a three-time premiership player with Richmond, and May, a retired Melbourne Demons defender and former Suns captain, had faced charges including affray and recklessly causing serious injury. The withdrawal followed earlier hearings where police acknowledged the lack of footage and the reliance on disputed accounts.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Charges against Dion Prestia and Steven May were dropped on 2026-05-08 in Frankston Magistrates' Court
- The alleged brawl occurred in Sorrento on Boxing Day (December 27, 2024) between two competing groups
- Two men were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries during the incident
- Dion Prestia was charged with recklessly causing serious injury and affray; Steven May was charged with affray
- Both men denied involvement in the incident and appeared via video link at the hearing
- Prosecutors withdrew charges after the case relied on conflicting witness testimony ('two competing groups')
- Defence lawyer Tony Hargreaves applied for legal costs to be paid by prosecutors, which were granted
- Dion Prestia has played 244 AFL games (Richmond and Gold Coast Suns); Steven May played 251 games (Gold Coast Suns and Melbourne Demons)
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Prosecutor Alex Turner stated in March 2026 that there was no footage of the alleged brawl, and the case relied on 'two competing groups'
- Defence lawyer Tony Hargreaves said some witnesses claimed the players were not involved at all, and the defence continued to provide information to police to support this
- Magistrate Tony Burns told the pair, 'You are free to leave,' before they logged off the video link
- Prestia is a three-time premiership player with Richmond; May won a premiership with Melbourne Demons in 2021 and captained the Suns for two seasons
- Prestia was initially charged with recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury, and affray (ABC only mentioned recklessly causing serious injury and affray)
- The court was told in May 2026 that police were interviewing new witnesses, and the case was described as 'word on word' with conflicting accounts
- May retired from the AFL just days before the 2026 season began
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states Prestia was charged with recklessly causing serious injury and affray, while NEWSCOMAU also includes 'intentionally causing injury' as a charge against Prestia
Source Articles
Charges dropped against Dion Prestia and Steven May over alleged brawl
Prosecutors have dropped all charges against current and former footballers Dion Prestia and Steven May over an alleged brawl in Sorrento on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula on Boxing Day in 2024.
AFL stars have violence charges dropped
Allegations two AFL premiership players were involved in a Boxing Day brawl have been withdrawn by police, after new witnesses came forward.