- Stemmed from alleged brawl in December 2024
Violence charges against AFL premiership players Dion Prestia and Steven May have been dropped by prosecutors – who will now pay the pair’s legal costs.
Richmond midfielder Prestia, 33, and former Melbourne Demons defender May, 34, were charged last year following an alleged brawl in Sorrento, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, in December 2024.
Police alleged the pair were involved in a streetside fight between ‘two competing groups’ in the early hours of December 27 that led to two men being taken to hospital.
Prestia was charged with recklessly causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury and affray while May was charged with affray.
Both men vehemently denied any involvement in the alleged incident.
The high-profile pair appeared in the Frankston Magistrates Court on Friday morning as prosecutor Alex Turner announced police would withdraw all the charges.
Violence charges against AFL premiership players Dion Prestia (pictured) and Steven May have been dropped by prosecutors – who will now pay the pair’s legal costs
It followed an alleged brawl in Sorrento, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, in December 2024, with both men insisting they were not involved in the incident
Both footy identities, who appeared via video link, replied: ‘Thank you’, when told the charges had been thrown out.
Defence lawyer Tony Hargreaves – who represented both men – then applied for their legal costs to be paid by police.
Turner didn’t deny the request, with costs granted for both footy stars.
The exact costs will be determined at a later date.
Prestia is a three-time premiership player with Richmond who started his AFL career at the Gold Coast Suns in 2011.
May also began his senior career with the Suns in 2011 before joining the Melbourne Demons in 2019.
Two years later, he won a flag under coach Simon Goodwin.
May retired from footy in March this year, stating it was an ‘incredibly tough decision.’
Steven May (pictured, right) and Dion Prestia (second from right) played together at Gold Coast, joining the Suns back in 2010
Prestia would go on to win three premierships between 2017 and 2020 with Richmond
May (pictured, left) won a flag with the Melbourne Demons in 2021 before announcing his retirement in March this year
‘It is with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to step away and retire from the AFL,’ his Instagram post began.
‘It’s an incredibly tough decision to make, but I know it’s the right one for myself, my family and the team.
‘As a kid from Darwin, all I ever wanted was to play one game of AFL.
‘To have lived that dream and had the career I’ve had is something I’ll be forever grateful for.’
