Police have issued a late-night statement to declare ‘no offence’ was committed after MP Moira Deeming accused ex-Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy of assaulting her at a community event, triggering an official investigation and internal party chaos.
Deeming had claimed Guy physically assaulted her at a Macedonian gala dinner in Melbourne‘s west on May 23, with CCTV footage showing the pair seated at a table and Guy placing a hand on Deeming’s back as she leaned in to speak to him.
Guy had strenuously denied any allegations of assault to colleagues and, according The Age, was not questioned by police.
‘These claims were ridiculous and unsubstantiated, just as the police found,’ Guy told the publication.
Victoria Police issued a statement clearing Guy late on Thursday night.
‘Police have concluded an investigation following reports of an assault at a function venue on Sommerville Road in Sunshine West on 23 May,’ police said.
‘It was reported a woman was assaulted by a man at an event. The woman did not require medical attention, and the incident was reported to police on 16 June.
‘Following a thorough investigation, it has been determined there was no offence detected.
Moira Deeming (left) and Matthew Guy (right) attended a community event in Melbourne’s west in May
CCTV of the incident shows former Victorian Liberal leader Guy placing a hand on Deeming’s back
‘Investigators have engaged with the woman who made the report.’
Reports of Deeming’s accusation that she had been put in a ‘violent headlock’ by Guy, 52, emerged earlier on Thursday.
Victorian Liberal MPs and party officials spent the day in crisis talks to manage the fallout from the allegation.
State Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny had earlier posed questions to Liberal leader Jess Wilson.
She asked when she knew about the allegation, what actions she has taken, and whether it is appropriate for MPs to remain in the partyroom when they are the subject of a police complaint.
Labor Premier Jacinta Allan also chimed in.
‘An alleged assault by one Liberal member of parliament against another Liberal colleague – they’re serious questions that the Liberal Leader Jess Wilson needs to come and answer,’ she said.
Deeming’s husband, Andrew Deeming, took to X on Thursday night, before police issued their statement, to post about the allegation.
Victorian MP Moira Deeming and her husband Andrew Deeming
Andrew Deeming posted about his wife’s allegation on Thursday night
‘As a man – I would never grab a woman by the back of the neck,’ he wrote on social media on Thursday.
‘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.
‘And as a husband – keep your f***ing hands off my wife.’
The drama comes five months before the state election, where the party is attempting to turf out a three-term Labor government but also faces a surging One Nation.
It has been rocked by a series of scandals, including former deputy leader Sam Groth leaving his Mornington Peninsula seat of Nepean.
The first-term MP said the public pressure placed on his family had been significant, claiming that some of that came from ‘within my own party’.
Meanwhile, a battle in the courts is continuing after Deeming successfully sued former leader John Pesutto for defamation after he implied she was associated with neo-Nazis.
Pesutto was ordered to pay $2.3million in legal costs to Deeming and faced bankruptcy, which would have forced him from parliament.
The state Liberals’ administrative committee agreed to loan Pesutto $1.55million.
Former committee member Colleen Harkin and four others sought to block the payment over an alleged breach of party rules, launching a Supreme Court challenge.
Harkin has since defected to One Nation.
Deeming was also ousted in preselection in her Western Metropolitan upper house seat before being sensationally re-endorsed unopposed.
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