Victorian MP Moira Deeming blames Liberal Party for botching ‘headlock’ complaint
EXCLUSIVE: The Liberal politician said she misunderstood the meaning of the term ‘headlock’ but maintains she was manhandled by fellow MP Matthew Guy, an allegation dismissed by police.
Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming said she was forced to make a complaint to the police accusing a colleague of placing her in a headlock — an allegation she partly retracted — because the Liberal Party refused to investigate.
In a dispute that could make it harder for the Coalition to win power in Victoria, Ms Deeming said she was mistaken to accuse fellow Liberal Matthew Guy of placing her in a headlock at a crowded community event last month but insisted the male MP touched and held her against her will.
Ms Deeming said in a statement through her lawyer, Tim Houweling, that she was not “attributing motive” to Mr Guy, in what appeared to be an attempt to lower tensions without withdrawing the assertion she was manhandled.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“After the CCTV footage was released to media, our client was able to view the footage for the first time,” Mr Houweling said in a statement issued to The Nightly.
“She accepts that she misunderstood the technical meaning of the term ‘headlock’, but maintains that she used it in good faith to describe what happened.
“The publicly available footage shows Mr Guy pulling her towards him while maintaining a grip around her neck and upper shoulder area as she attempted to pull away, preventing her from freely moving her head for several seconds.
“Without attributing motive to the other party, our client maintains that from her perspective this physical contact by a senior male colleague in the workplace was unexpected, unwelcome, physically painful and caused her to feel fear and confusion.”
Text messages
Ms Deeming told the police two weeks ago that Mr Guy, the opposition’s public transport spokesman and former leader, grabbed her head while they were sitting at a table talking at a Macedonian community dance in northern Melbourne on May 23.
In text messages published in The Australian that the newspaper said Ms Deeming sent to colleagues, the politician described the encounter as a violent assault.
“Suddenly, I felt like someone smashed me in the base of my skull with a wine bottle – but it was Matthew Guy grabbing me violently in some kind of headlock,” she wrote, according to the paper.
“He wouldn’t let me go. He held on the side of my face and had his whole arm round my head and was pulling. I thought I was going to be ripped off my chair, and have my face smashed into [her staffer’s] lap or the table.”
Grainy video footage of the encounter showed Mr Guy placing his right hand on her back or shoulder for approximately three seconds. After a quick investigation the Victoria police said it would not charge Mr Guy because an offence did not take place.
With the Victoria Coalition leading polls ahead of a state election in November, Ms Deeming’s allegations have helped the Labor government by shifting attention back to long-running internal conflict in the Liberal party’s right and left factions.
‘No false allegation’
Ms Deeming said through her lawyer her complaint was made “based upon her own recollection of what had occurred”. After unsuccessful attempts to resolve the dispute within the Liberal Party, Ms Deeming said she was advised by senior party officials to report her allegation to the police.
“Our client instructs us to make clear that she categorically rejects any suggestion that her complaint was falsely made and considers any such allegation to be entirely without foundation and highly defamatory,” her lawyer said.
“A decision by police not to pursue charges is not a finding that a complaint was falsely made. Conflating the two risks setting a dangerous precedent and risks discouraging future complainants from reporting conduct of concern for fear of public criticism, professional consequences or accusations of wrongdoing. Every person should be entitled to report matters to the authorities in good faith without fear of reprisal.
“She considers it deeply regrettable that this matter was not able to remain within the Party’s confidential processes and that it has instead become the subject of public commentary, causing unnecessary distress to all those involved.
“Throughout the process, her intention was to deal with the matter confidentially, appropriately and in the appropriate way, rather than through the media or public commentary.”
On Friday Mr Guy demanded an apology and implied he might sue for defamation. “There was no ambiguity,” he told journalists. “I did not do what was alleged. The CCTV proves this. It did from the start, and Victoria police agree.”
Liberal leader Jess Wilson sided with Mr Guy and said she would discuss the allegations this week with Ms Deeming, who is likely to be expelled by the parliamentary Liberal Party and forced to become an independent, according to a report in The Age on Friday.
Ms Deeming said her feelings about the encounter were exacerbated by being a victim of rape and sexual assault and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from the abuse and her conflict with the Liberal Party over participation in a women’s rights rally attended by neo-nazis in 2023.
Ms Deeming said in Monday’s statement she would not comment further “at this time”.
