Moira Deeming misunderstood meaning of ‘headlock’ but won’t apologise to Matthew Guy for assault allegation | Victoria
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming said she misunderstood “the technical meaning of the term ‘decapitation'” but would not apologize to her colleague Matthew Guy for allegedly assaulting him.
Last week it was revealed that Deeming had reported to police in June that opposition public transport spokesman Guy had assaulted him at a Macedonian community event in Sunshine, Melbourne, in May.
Deeming claimed that Guy had put him in a sort of subjugation.
CCTV footage of the incident was made available for circulation on Thursday and police confirmed that evening they had completed the investigation with no crime detected.
Deeming’s lawyer, Tim Houweling of Cornerstone Legal, told the media on Monday that his complaint was based on his own memories and that he was only able to view the CCTV footage for the first time after it was released to the media.
Houweling said Deeming, who is currently abroad, acknowledged that he had misunderstood the technical meaning of “decapitation”.
“He acknowledges that he misunderstood the technical meaning of the term ‘yoke’ but maintains that he used it in good faith to describe what happened,” he said.
“Our client argues, without attributing any reason to the other party, that, from his perspective, this physical contact by a senior male colleague at work was unexpected, unwelcome, physically painful and caused him to feel fear and confusion.”
Houweling said Deeming would not apologize “for making what was described as a ‘false complaint’ to Victoria Police”.
“He’s not going to apologize for something he didn’t do,” Houweling said.
“Our client is instructed to make it clear that he categorically denies any suggestion that his complaint is unfounded and considers such allegations to be completely unfounded and highly defamatory.”
Houweling said Deeming’s complaint was filed only as a last resort after unsuccessful attempts to resolve the incident through the Liberal party’s internal processes.
“His intention throughout the process was to address the matter in a confidential, appropriate and appropriate manner rather than through media or public comment,” Houweling said.
Houweling said the incident was made worse by the fact that Deeming had previously been a victim of rape and sexual abuse and “suffered post-traumatic stress disorder from both that and events that have occurred over the past three-plus years.”
He said: “He considers it extremely regrettable that this matter has not remained within the confidential processes of the Party and has instead become the subject of public comment, causing unnecessary distress to all concerned.”
Houweling said Deeming would meet with senior Liberals to work towards internal resolution.
On Friday, a visibly emotional Guy called on Deeming, premier Jacinta Allan and attorney-general Sonya Kilkenny to apologise.
“My surname and my reputation are not a political toy. Nobody’s is. That’s why I want these apologies and my family deserves them too, especially from Moira Deeming,” he said.
“There was no ambiguity. I did not do what was alleged, CCTV proves that. He did from the beginning and Victoria Police agrees.”
Earlier in the week Kilkenny said Victorian opposition leader Jess Wilson had questions to answer, including “whether it is appropriate for a member of his own council to be in the party room when the subject of a police complaint”.
Allan later told reporters Kilkenny’s questions “went to the heart of the Liberal party leadership”.
Guy claimed the prime minister and attorney general had “told every Victorian man over the age of 40 they don’t have your back”.
“To the Australian men who are fed up with this treatment, fed up with not being believed, some of us in parliament still have your back. I’ve got your back too,” he said.
On Monday, Allan said he would not apologize to Guy because there was “nothing to apologize for” and Wilson still had questions to answer about the “chaos and dysfunction in the Liberal Party party room”.
