Singer Taylor Swift's father left Australia after being reported for assaulting a photographer, police reported this Tuesday. Australian authorities are currently investigating the case. Scott Swift, 71, "left the country" but "investigations continue," an Australian police spokeswoman said in statements reported by AFP.
The music megastar finished her fourth and final concert in Sydney on Monday of her successful Eras Tour. She will head to Singapore this week to close her Asia-Pacific tour.
The victim, veteran photographer Ben McDonald, claims he was on a pier trying to take photos of the singer on a superyacht. At that point, Swift's security team put an umbrella in front of her face to prevent her from being photographed as she walked along the pier toward another vehicle. When Swift was gone, a man confronted McDonald and gave him a "punch in the chops." "It’s a little tender, but I don’t have any bruising and it didn’t require medical assistance,” McDonald said. The photographer said he realized that his alleged assailant was not a part of the security detail after seeing a photo of him holding Swift’s hand while reviewing photos from the evening. McDonald later identified Scott Swift from an online picture.
A spokesperson for the singer claimed that two individuals pushed and attacked Taylor Swift's staff on the pier. “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water." The spokesperson did not directly comment on the assault accusation against Swift's father, nor did he respond to further questions to clarify what happened.
Police declined to comment on whether Scott Swift had been contacted or questioned before the singer's team left Australia.
With her Eras Tour, the creator of hits like Anti-Hero, Shake it Off and Love story is on her way to breaking records in the music industry. The tour is estimated to gross over $1 billion.
