AFL Hall of Fame inductee Nicky Winmar has been charged with assault, including allegations of choking a woman during an incident in regional Victoria earlier this year.
The 59-year-old former St Kilda star appeared via video link at Kerang Magistrates’ Court, where he faced charges relating to an alleged assault at Cohuna in May.
He has been formally accused of two counts of assault and one count of choking, suffocating or strangling a person without lawful excuse, linked to a reported altercation on July 18.
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No further details were presented during the brief hearing, which ended with the matter being adjourned.
Court date shifted after birthday request
Magistrate Trieu Huynh initially proposed September 25 as the date for the next hearing, but Winmar, noting it would be his 60th birthday, asked for it to be changed. “I turn 60,” he said. The court instead set a new date of September 11 and extended his bail.
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Winmar’s legal representative, Tessa Theocharous, confirmed that her client will also return to Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on August 28 for the earlier charges.
A dual All Australian and two-time best and fairest winner at St Kilda, Winmar also played for the Western Bulldogs. His legacy includes a powerful anti-racism stance in 1993 that became one of the most iconic moments in Australian sport.