Disgraced former Australian Football League star Nicky Winmar has been sentenced to six months in jail for a violent attack on a woman in northern Victoria last year. The court also imposed a one-year community corrections order upon his release.
Winmar, 60, was found guilty last month of three counts of unlawful assault and common law assault. He had claimed the victim was lying.
During sentencing at Bendigo Magistrates Court, Winmar's barrister indicated an immediate appeal, seeking bail for his client.
Rejection of Racism Defense
Winmar's defense had sought to mitigate the sentence by referencing his 1993 stand against racism, where he famously pointed to his skin in response to racial taunts from a Collingwood crowd. However, Magistrate Trieu Huynh stated that the 1993 incident could not excuse his recent violent behavior. "Blessed with athletic prowess, you were able to scale the heights of the footballing world," the magistrate told Winmar, acknowledging his sporting achievements and his role in a significant moment that addressed racism in sport. "This moment was immortalised in the form of a statue in Perth, which I'm told has since been taken down following these proceedings."
The court acknowledged that Winmar had experienced "extracurial punishment" through the stripping of sporting accolades and the removal of his statue. However, the magistrate determined that the seriousness of the offending behavior and past opportunities for rehabilitation meant this could only be given limited weight.
History of Violence
Despite Winmar's claim to fame for his anti-racism stance, the court heard he had a history of violence against women dating back to 1997, when he was convicted of domestic violence-related charges. In 1999, he was convicted for breaching an intervention order and assaulting the same woman. In 2019, he assaulted a taxi driver.
Magistrate Huynh described the recent assault charges as serious, detailing that the offending involved grabbing and twisting the victim's arm, pulling her by her ponytail causing hair loss, and hitting her head against a door multiple times with enough force to crack it. The court heard that Winmar's violence occurred suddenly, including screaming and spitting on the woman.
Victim's Ordeal
Body-worn camera footage showed the victim appearing disheveled and distressed in the immediate aftermath. In her statement to police, she described feeling broken and unable to comprehend the brutality inflicted by someone she loved. She reported feeling worthless, lacking confidence, no longer feeling safe, and experiencing hypervigilance and panic attacks, stating she was a "shadow of the person she was" due to the trauma.
The victim, who cannot be identified, told the court she feared for her life during the incident in May 2025. Winmar's defense team had argued for a community-based order, citing his contributions to society, rehabilitation efforts including alcohol abstinence and counseling, his age, and personal circumstances. They contended that imprisonment was not the only option.