A woman who assaulted federal senator Lidia Thorpe outside the MCG in 2024 has been spared jail, in a case that has been marred by secrecy in the Victorian courts.
Senator 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.
Lidia Thorpe suffered multiple injuries in the attack. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)
On Friday, 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, Senator Thorpe said she was thankful the case was over and wanted to “bring an end to speculation surrounding this matter”.
Victorian woman Ebony Bell points at Federal Senator Lidia Thorpe (in Richmond jersey) minutes before the fight breaks out outside the MCG. (Supplied: Magistrates’ Court of Victoria)
“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.”
Senator Thorpe was with two friends near the stadium when they were attacked by Bell, now aged 29.
During the scuffle, Senator Thorpe was punched and fell to the ground.
A hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court was told Senator Thorpe suffered multiple injuries, including soreness to the head, face, nerve pain around her shoulder and numbness in her hands and fingers.
Thorpe applied for suppression order
On Friday, Magistrate Jill Prior said Bell’s attack was not planned, nor sophisticated, and occurred on a day when Indigenous culture was being celebrated at the marquee AFL game.
“This offending has had an enduring impact on them,” she said of the victims.
“Violence in the community must be denounced.”
During a hearing last year, CCTV footage of the fight was played to the court.
In the aftermath, Senator Thorpe and Bell were pulled apart. Senator Thorpe, who was wearing a Richmond guernsey, can be seen pointing and shouting at her attacker afterwards.
Ebony Bell (right) throws a punch at Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe. (Supplied: Magistrates’ Court of Victoria)
Last year, Bell’s defence lawyers told the court Senator Thorpe made derogatory comments about the accused’s mother, a claim Senator Thorpe flatly denied.
The incident came to light when Senator Thorpe missed several parliamentary sitting days and confirmed to reporters the absence was due to the attack.
After those public comments, Senator Thorpe engaged lawyers to apply for a suppression order to stop all reporting about the case being published until it was finalised.
Ebony Bell (right) pulls the hair of Lidia Thorpe’s friend during the brawl. (Supplied: Magistrates’ Court of Victoria)
The gag order was granted by magistrate Michael Smith, despite opposition from media outlets including the ABC, The Age, The Australian and the Seven Network.
Barrister Conor O’Beirne, representing the media, argued reporting restrictions went against the fundamental legal principle of open justice.
The ABC is unable to report why the suppression was granted, because last month the court agreed to widen the order to cover the reasons behind it.
Judge tells attacker she ‘needs to get some help’
On Friday, Senator Thorpe watched the sentencing hearing via video-link.
Bell was also sentenced for attacking a pub security guard in an unrelated incident in 2025 while she was on bail.
In that case, the victim was knocked to the ground, punched and kicked in the head.
“Whilst you could have made a decision to walk away and didn’t, both incidents are obviously unplanned, unsophisticated and short-lived,” Magistrate Prior said.
In deciding to impose a community corrections order instead of jail, the magistrate said she considered the impacts of intergenerational trauma suffered by Bell, who is Indigenous.
She ordered Bell to complete drug and rehab counselling.
“You need to get some help around this,” Magistrate Prior told her.