image source, Getty Images
Taylor Swift and her father Scott
Australian police are investigating allegations that a paparazzi was assaulted by Taylor Swift's father.
Ben McDonald, 51, accused Scott Swift, 71, of punching him in the face on a Sydney pier. He did not require medical help.
The confrontation occurred Tuesday after Swift and the pop megastar disembarked from a yacht.
According to local media, the singer's publicist did not address the assault allegation, but said the two had behaved aggressively towards them.
Video released by Australian media shows the singer, hiding under an umbrella, walking along the Neutral Bay Pier with his father and a security guard at around 2:30 a.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Monday, Japan time). You can see how they are doing.
Before the camera flashes, two voices, allegedly a cameraman and a security guard, accuse each other of touching the umbrella. It is unclear whether the footage captures the alleged incident.
Mr McDonald told the BBC that the singer was already in the car when Mr Swift “charged” and attacked her.
“I've been doing this job for 23 years and I've never been in a situation where someone punched me in the chops,” he said, adding that he didn't cause the incident.
A representative for the singer said: “Two individuals aggressively advanced towards Taylor, grabbed a security guard and threatened to throw a female staff member into the water.”
Swift had just played the final Australian concert of her wildly popular Elas tour.
“A young man reported the incident, which is currently being investigated by officers from the North Shore Police Area Command,” NSW Police said in a statement.
