Victoria Police have concluded an investigation into an alleged assault of MP Moira Deeming by former Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy, determining that "no offence was detected." The allegation stemmed from a Macedonian gala dinner in Melbourne's west on May 23.
Deeming had claimed Guy had physically assaulted her at the event. CCTV footage later emerged showing the pair seated at a table, with Guy placing a hand on Deeming's back as she leaned in to speak to him. According to the report, Deeming did not require medical attention, and the incident was reported to police on June 16.
"Investigators have engaged with the woman who made the report," Victoria Police said in a statement late Thursday night. Deeming's husband, Andrew Deeming, had earlier posted on social media, stating, "As a husband - keep your f***ing hands off my wife." He also wrote, "As a man - I would never grab a woman by the back of the neck," and "As a manager - if a male staff member grabbed a female staff member by the neck, she wouldn't need to tell me twice or even go to the police, because he'd be gone by the end of the day."
Deeming reportedly complained she had been put in a headlock by Guy, 52, who had strongly denied the accusation to colleagues. The drama unfolds five months before a state election, where the Liberal party aims to unseat a three-term Labor government while contending with a surging One Nation.
The Liberal party has recently faced other controversies. Former deputy leader Sam Groth left his seat of Mornington Peninsula, citing significant public pressure on his family, some of which he claimed came from "within my own party." Additionally, Deeming is involved in ongoing legal proceedings after successfully suing former leader John Pesutto for defamation. Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3 million in legal costs to Deeming after he implied she was associated with neo-Nazis. The state Liberals' administrative committee agreed to loan Pesutto $1.55 million, a move that has been challenged in the Supreme Court by former committee member Colleen Harkin and four others over alleged breaches of party rules. Harkin has since defected to One Nation. Deeming was also ousted in preselection for her Western Metropolitan upper house seat before being sensationally re-endorsed unopposed.