Details of MCG assault against Lidia Thorpe revealed after court lifts suppression order

Assault and Court Proceedings

Ebony Bell, 29, was handed a 12-month community corrections order and a $300 fine on Friday for assaulting Senator Lidia Thorpe and a security guard. The Melbourne Magistrates Court lifted a suppression order, allowing the details of the assault to be made public.

The attack occurred in May 2024 outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) after the annual Dreamtime match. A verbal altercation between Bell and Senator Thorpe escalated; as Thorpe and her friends walked away, Bell pursued them. CCTV footage showed Bell punching the senator twice to the head and jaw, punching her male friend in the face, and pulling a woman's hair while attempting to restrain the accused on the ground.

Photos of Thorpe's injuries, including a bruised lip and neck, along with victim impact statements, were submitted to the court. Thorpe stated that the assault left her with deep and long-lasting impacts, and her trauma was compounded by a lack of understanding of why it occurred. Magistrate Jillian Prior noted that Thorpe's statement described "the layering of this trauma upon her own experiences of harm, in what she describes in her role as a First Nations woman in the Senate."

Second Attack and Sentencing

In August 2025, while on bail for the senator's attack, Bell assaulted a bouncer at the Whalers hotel in Warrnambool. CCTV showed Bell hitting the bouncer in the head three times with her phone after being refused entry, then dragging him to the ground and kicking him in the head as he lay on the pavement.

Prosecutor Bianca Moleta argued for jail time, calling the second assault "another gratuitous act of violence." In June, Moleta told the court: "She's a woman on a mission, she's got her sights set on this victim just like the other three victims."

Bell's barrister, Carmendy Cooper, urged for a community order, citing good rehabilitation prospects. Cooper alleged that the bouncer's refusal was "motivated by racism."

On Friday, Bell was given a 12-month community corrections order and ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol addiction and anger management.

Thorpe's Response

Senator Lidia Thorpe said in a statement: "I am thankful this matter has now been finalised. This has been a difficult experience, made harder by public speculation and imputations that did not reflect the facts ultimately established by the court." She also reiterated that she had consistently advocated against a prison sentence and that she had never met the perpetrator before the incident.