- St Kilda great dropped his head into his hands after decision
- Will be sentenced at a later date
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AFL great Nicky Winmar has been found guilty of dragging a woman by the hair and smashing her head against a door.
The former St Kilda star, 60, argued that the woman lied about the attack, but Bendigo Magistrate Trieu Huynh on Friday found she was telling the truth and convicted him on three charges.
The woman, who cannot be identified, alleged Winmar attacked her in Cohuna, in northern Victoria, on May 14, 2025.
She claimed Winmar became unexpectedly angry before grabbing her arm, twisting it and dragging her by the hair.
The woman also accused Winmar of pushing her against a wall, spitting and yelling in her face, and repeatedly bashing her head against a wooden door.
Winmar admitted he slapped the woman’s arm above the elbow but denied throwing any punches or making her fall.
He claimed she was the one who punched him five or six times in the face.
Mr Huynh found the woman was a credible and truthful witness who gave honest evidence about the attack.
Nicky Winmar (pictured in 2022) has been found guilty of two charges of common assault and one count of unlawful assault
Winmar was found guilty of dragging a woman by the hair and smashing her head against a door. Pictured is an iconic image captured as he hit back at racist fans in 1993
Magistrate Huynh convicted Winmar of two charges of common assault and one count of unlawful assault.
He found the woman as a credible witness who gave ‘plausible accounts for the supposed inconsistencies in her evidence’.
‘I do not dismiss inconsistencies in her evidence. With the benefit of observing her give evidence … [the woman] presents as a credible witness,’ he said.
The charges related to allegations that Winmar grabbed the woman by the arm, dragged her by the hair and hit her head against a door.
Winmar was acquitted of the fourth charge of intentionally causing injury, with Mr Huynh finding the woman’s ‘substantial pain’ fell short of the level of injury required for the charge.
Winmar, who appeared in Bendigo Magistrates’ Court in person, dropped his head into his hands after the magistrate handed down his decision.
He will face a pre-sentence hearing in August.
Winmar became the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 AFL games, finishing his career with 230 games for St Kilda and 21 for the Western Bulldogs.
The St Kilda legend (pictured at a previous court appearance) dropped his head into his hands after the magistrate handed down his decision on Friday
He fought back against racism during his career, including by standing in front of an abusive Collingwood crowd in 1993, lifting his jumper and proudly pointing at his skin.
The moment was later immortalised as a bronze statue at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Winmar is also co-leading a landmark racism class action against the AFL in the Victorian Supreme Court.
