Ebony Bell has been handed a $300 fine and a 12-month community corrections order after assaulting Lidia Thorpe in 2024. The 29-year-old woman was convicted for recklessly causing injury to the independent senator and for unlawfully assaulting two others outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground following the annual Dreamtime at the 'G match in May 2024.
Details of the Assault Revealed
The court lifted a suppression order, allowing details of the attack to be made public. CCTV footage played in court showed Bell punching Thorpe twice to the head and then the jaw. She also punched Thorpe's male friend in the face and pulled a woman's hair as she tried to restrain Bell on the ground. The incident occurred after a verbal altercation outside gate 1 of the MCG at about 10pm. Thorpe and her friends walked away, but Bell pursued the group.
Photos of Thorpe's injuries, including a bruised lip and neck, were submitted to the court along with victim impact statements. Thorpe stated that the assault left her suffering deep and "long-lasting" impacts, and her trauma was compounded by a lack of understanding as to why it occurred. Magistrate Jillian Prior noted that Thorpe's statement described "the layering of this trauma upon her own experiences of harm, in what she describes in her role as a First Nations woman in the Senate."
Second Assault While on Bail
Bell committed a second "gratuitous act of violence" while on bail for the attack on Thorpe. In August 2025, she assaulted a security guard at the Whalers hotel in Warrnambool. CCTV showed Bell hitting a bouncer in the head with her phone three times after being refused entry. She then dragged him to the ground outside and kicked him in the head as he lay on the pavement.
Prosecutor Bianca Moleta argued that Bell should be jailed, describing the second incident as another "gratuitous act of violence." Moleta said, "She's a woman on a mission, she's got her sights set on this victim just like the other three victims." Bell's barrister, Carmendy Cooper, urged the magistrate to hand Bell a community order, citing good prospects for rehabilitation. Cooper alleged that the refusal of entry was "motivated by racism."
Court Sentencing
On Friday, Bell was handed a 12-month community corrections order with conviction for both bouts of offending. She was also ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol addiction and anger management. Initially, Bell was told to undertake an anger management course after her 2024 attack on Thorpe, but she committed the second assault six days after facing court over the first attack.
Thorpe said in a statement on Friday: "I am thankful this matter has now been finalised. This has been a difficult experience, made harder by public speculation and imputations that did not reflect the facts ultimately established by the court." The senator added that she had consistently advocated against a prison sentence for the person involved and reiterated that she had never met Bell before the incident.
