Former AFL player Nicky Winmar has been found guilty of dragging a woman by the hair and hitting her head against a door. The 60-year-old former St Kilda star was convicted of two charges of common law assault and one count of unlawful assault in Bendigo Magistrates Court on Friday.
Magistrate Trieu Huynh found the woman, who cannot be identified, was a credible and truthful witness. She alleged that Winmar attacked her at Cohuna in northern Victoria on 14 May 2025, grabbing her arm, twisting it, and dragging her by the hair before pushing her against a wall and bashing her head into a wooden door.
Winmar argued the woman had lied about the attack and claimed he only slapped her arm above the elbow. He also alleged she had punched him five or six times to the face. The magistrate rejected his version of events.
Winmar was acquitted on a fourth charge of intentionally causing injury, with the magistrate finding the woman's substantial pain fell short of the injury required for that charge.
After the verdict, Winmar dropped his head into his hands. He is renowned as an AFL great, the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 games, finishing his career with 230 games for St Kilda and 21 for the Western Bulldogs. He is also co-leading a landmark racism class action against the AFL.
