Liberal MP Moira Deeming breaks silence after assault allegations against Matthew Guy

Victorian Liberal MP Moira Deeming says she will not apologise and that she misunderstood the meaning of the term “headlock”, after alleging her party room colleague Matthew Guy had assaulted her.

Deeming, who is overseas, released a statement through her lawyer Tim Houweling, to “correct the public record regarding her recent complaint to Victoria Police”.

The complaint related to Ms Deeming and Mr Guy’s attendance at a crowded Macedonian community event in Sunshine on May 23. The statement said Ms Deeming categorically rejected any suggestion that her complaint to Victoria Police, which was dismissed last Thursday, was falsely made.

“She accepts that she misunderstood the technical meaning of the term ‘headlock’ but maintains that she used it in good faith to describe what happened,” the statement said. “The publicly available footage shows Mr Guy pulling her towards him while maintaining a grip around her neck and upper shoulder area as she attempted to pull away, preventing her from freely moving her head for several seconds.”

A statement from Ms Deeming’s solicitor said she “maintains that from her perspective this physical contact by a senior male colleague in the workplace was unexpected, unwelcome, physically painful and caused her to feel fear and confusion”. “This incident was exacerbated by our clients’ prior history of being a victim of rape and sexual abuse, and having PTSD both from that and from what has occurred over the last more than three years,” the statement also said.

Liberal leader Jess Wilson agreed that he deserved an apology. “I think it is entirely reasonable that he has asked for that.”