Breaking: Woman who attacked Senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG avoids jail

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 3:25pm

Fri 3 Jul 2026 at 3:25pm

A woman who assaulted federal senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG in 2024 has been spared jail.

Ms Thorpe was with a group of friends near the stadium after the Dreamtime at the G game between Essendon and Richmond when she was attacked by Ebony Jan Bell.

The independent senator said she missed numerous sitting days because of injuries from the incident.

This afternoon, Bell was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order over the attack and another unrelated assault.

Details of the case can finally be reported, after a longstanding suppression order was lifted.

In a statement, Ms Thorpe said she was thankful the case was over and wanted to "bring an end to speculation surrounding this matter".

"I want to put on record that throughout this process, I have consistently advocated against a prison sentence for the person involved," the independent senator said.

"I also want to reiterate that I had never met this person before the incident. I had no idea who they were.

"From the beginning, I have asked for the privacy of everyone involved to be respected.

"I will not make a full recovery from my injuries, however I want to move on from this and will not be commenting further."

Ms Thorpe was with two friends near the stadium when they were attacked by Bell, now aged 29.

During the scuffle Ms Thorpe was punched and fell to the ground.

A hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court was told Ms Thorpe suffered multiple injuries, including soreness to the head, face, nerve pain around her shoulder and numbness in her hands and fingers.