Overview
- A Bendigo magistrate found Neil Elvis “Nicky” Winmar guilty on Friday of two common law assaults and one unlawful assault arising from a May 14, 2025, incident in Cohuna, Victoria.
- The court heard an emotional 000 call, police body‑worn camera footage and a photograph showing bruising, and the magistrate said the complainant’s core account was credible despite some inconsistencies.
- Winmar pleaded not guilty and told the court he acted in self‑defence, admitting he slapped the woman’s arm but denying the prosecution’s account that he dragged her by the hair and repeatedly hit her head against a door.
- Western Australian Premier Roger Cook directed VenuesWest to remove the bronze statue that commemorates Winmar’s 1993 anti‑racism gesture, crews took it down early Sunday and it is now in secure storage while its future is decided.
- The case returns for a pre‑sentence hearing in August with Winmar on bail, a legal outcome that will affect his public standing and prompt debate over how institutions display symbols tied to figures accused or convicted of violence.