Court dismisses assault charge against Yarra Mayor Jolly — ABC News Australia

In Australia, a court has dismissed an assault charge against Yarra Mayor Stephen Jolly, who was accused of striking a female protester in the face during a party following local elections in 2024. Magistrate Jill Pryor ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jolly intended to commit an assault, ABC News Australia reports.

Incident at the party

The altercation occurred on November 1, 2024, at Ziggy's Disco Lounge in the suburb of Fitzroy. About 50 people attended the event. According to the court, protesters wearing Halloween masks and carrying a megaphone arrived at the party uninvited and confronted Jolly.

Complainant Estella Burrows testified that she had come to protest Jolly's re-election and that the group planned to unfurl a banner. She said the politician quickly approached her and, without warning, struck the left side of her face with considerable force.

The court was also shown video from the phone of one of the protesters, which only partially captured the altercation on the dance floor. Unverified accusations against Jolly could be heard in the recording.

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Court finding and parties' positions

Magistrate Pryor found that Jolly had contact with Burrows' face. At the same time, she described the events as chaotic: the interaction of several people in a small space lasted from 30 seconds to one minute.

During a police interview, Jolly denied hitting anyone. His defence argued that the contact, if it occurred, could have been accidental or made in self-defence. Jolly himself did not testify at the hearing.

After the decision was announced, Jolly told journalists that he had not hit Burrows and said his only mistake was not hiring security for the event. Burrows said she was disappointed by the verdict but not surprised by it.