Assault on Senator Lidia Thorpe by Ebony Bell in 2024 and subsequent legal proceedings
Consensus Summary
Ebony Bell, aged 29, assaulted Senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG in 2024 during the Dreamtime at the G match. Both sources confirm Bell was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order for the attack and another unrelated assault. The Guardian provides additional details about the violence, including Bell punching Thorpe twice and assaulting two others, while the ABC focuses on Thorpeās injuries and the suppression order being lifted. The Guardian also reports Bell committed a second assault in August 2025 while on bail, which the ABC does not mention. Bell pleaded guilty in September 2025, and the Guardian notes she was initially given a deferred sentence in October 2025, a detail not covered by the ABC. Thorpe consistently advocated against a prison sentence and expressed relief that the case was finalized.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Ebony Bell, aged 29, assaulted Senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG in 2024 during the Dreamtime at the G match.
- Bell was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order for the assault on Thorpe and another unrelated assault.
- Bell pleaded guilty to recklessly causing injury to Thorpe and unlawfully assaulting two others in September 2025.
- Bell was initially ordered to undertake an anger management course after the 2024 attack.
- Bell committed a second assault (on a security guard) in August 2025 while on bail for the Thorpe attack.
- The assault on Thorpe occurred at about 10pm.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Thorpe was with a group of friends near the stadium after the Dreamtime at the G game between Essendon and Richmond when attacked.
- Bell was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order over the attack and another unrelated assault in the same hearing.
- Thorpe suffered injuries including soreness to the head, face, nerve pain around her shoulder, and numbness in her hands and fingers.
- Bell punched Thorpe twice to the head and then the jaw, and also assaulted a male friend and pulled a womanās hair during the scuffle.
- Bell was initially given a six-month deferred sentence on 13 October 2025 for the 2024 attack.
- Bellās barrister alleged Thorpe had made distressing comments about Bellās mother, which upset the accused.
- Bell assaulted a bouncer at the Whalers hotel in Warrnambool in August 2025, hitting him with her phone and kicking him while he was on the ground.
- Thorpeās victim impact statement described the assault as causing deep and long-lasting trauma, compounded by her experiences as a First Nations woman in the Senate.
- Bell was ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol addiction and anger management as part of her 12-month community corrections order.
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The ABC does not mention a second assault on a security guard in August 2025, while the Guardian details this incident as a key factor in Bellās sentencing.
- The Guardian specifies Bell was initially told to undertake an anger management course after the 2024 attack, while the ABC does not mention this initial condition.
- The Guardian states Bell was given a six-month deferred sentence on 13 October 2025, while the ABC does not mention this deferred sentence timeline.
Source Articles
Breaking: Woman who attacked Senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG avoids jail
Lidia Thorpe was with a group of friends near the stadium after the Dreamtime at the G game between Essendon and Richmond when she was attacked by Ebony Jan Bell.
Details of MCG assault against Lidia Thorpe revealed after court lifts suppression order
Ebony Bell convicted and handed community work order following assault on senator and second āgratuitous act of violenceā while on bail Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman has been handed a community work order for punching Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG over claims the independent senator disrespected her mother. Ebony Bell was initially told to undertake an anger management course after her 2024 attack on Tho