Taylor Swift's father leaves Australia after photographer assault claims
U.S. singer Taylor Swift (L) and her father, Scott Kingsley Swift (R), cheer as they watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S., Dec.17, 2023. (AFP Photo)


Australian authorities announced that Taylor Swift's father had departed the country on Tuesday after a photographer said he was punched by Swift's father on a Wharf on Sydney Harbour early on Tuesday morning after her final Sydney concert, prompting a police investigation.

However, they affirmed that an inquiry into accusations of his involvement in a late-night scuffle with a Sydney photographer would persist.

Police said they were investigating the assault involving a 71-year-old man and another man on Neutral Bay Wharf at about 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Police did not name Swift's father, Scott, who is 71 years old.

Local media reported the complainant was an Australian photographer who was waiting for Taylor Swift and her father as they arrived at the Neutral Bay wharf following a late-night cruise on Sydney Harbor.

Taylor Swift was with her father at the time but had entered a car when the alleged assault occurred, according to state broadcaster ABC.

A spokesperson for Taylor Swift told Rolling Stone two people were acting "aggressively" toward Swift and her entourage when the incident occurred.

"Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way toward Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The ABC reported the photographer, Ben McDonald, said Swift's entourage used umbrellas to try and prevent him from taking photographs, and in the alleged altercation, Swift's father became involved.

Taylor Swift's Australian leg of her record-breaking Eras tour ended on Monday evening.