A statue of Nicky Winmar will be removed from a major stadium after the AFL great was found guilty of smashing a woman’s head against a door during a petrifying attack.
The woman, who cannot be identified, alleged the St Kilda star attacked her at Cohuna in northern Victoria on May 14, 2025.
Winmar, 60, argued the woman lied about the incident but Bendigo Magistrate Trieu Huynh on Friday found she was being truthful and convicted him of three charges.
West Australian Premier Roger Cook later on Friday said he had directed VenuesWest to remove a statue of Winmar from Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The statue depicts the memorable moment when Winmar, who fought back against racism in his career, stood in front of an abusive Collingwood crowd in 1993, lifted his jumper and proudly pointed at his skin.
‘Violence against women is never acceptable, and it is important we send a strong message to the community,’ Mr Cook said.
Pictured: The statue of ex-footy star Nicky Winmar that will be torn down at Perth’s Optus Stadium after his conviction for assaulting a woman
Winmar (pictured in a photo provided by the court) was found guilty of smashing a woman’s head against a door during a petrifying attack
‘Following Nicky Winmar’s conviction, I’m of the firm view that it is no longer appropriate for that statue to be displayed.’
Winmar’s accuser claimed he became unexpectedly angry before he grabbed her arm, twisted it and dragged her by the hair.
The woman also accused Winmar of pushing her against a wall, spitting and yelling in her face and then bashing her head repeatedly into a wooden door.
The woman said she managed to break free and lock herself into a room, where she called triple zero.
‘I was petrified he was going to do more things to me,’ the woman said in her evidence in May.
‘I was actually fearful for my life.’
The triple-zero call was played to the court alongside body-worn camera footage from a police officer who attended the scene.
A photo of the woman’s arm was also shown, depicting bruising above her right elbow.
The statue immortalised a famous moment from Winmar’s career as he responded to racist fans by lifting his guernsey and pointing at his skin (pictured)
The court heard the attack by Winmar (pictured before a match in 2023) left the woman in fear for her life
Under questioning from Winmar’s barrister Dermot Dann KC, the woman accepted she did not tell the triple-zero call taker or the first responding officer what exactly happened.
She admitted she did not disclose the allegations Winmar had dragged her or that he spat in her face, but she maintained she was telling the truth.
In a recorded chat with a police officer at the scene, Winmar admitted he slapped the woman’s arm above the elbow but denied throwing any punches or making her fall.
He claimed she was the one who punched him five or six times to the face area.
Mr Huynh on Friday found the woman was a credible and truthful witness who was honest in her evidence about the attack.
He accepted there were some inconsistencies in her account but said she had given plausible reasons for those discrepancies.
The magistrate convicted Winmar of two charges of common law assault and one count of unlawful assault, finding the prosecution had proven those offences beyond reasonable doubt.
The charges related to the allegations that Winmar grabbed the woman by the arm, dragged her by the hair and hit her head against a door.
Winmar was acquitted on the fourth charge of intentionally causing injury, with Mr Huynh finding the woman’s ‘substantial pain’ fell short of the sort of injury required for the charge.
Winmar, who appeared in the Bendigo court in person, dropped his head into his hands after the magistrate handed down his decision.
Mr Dann told the court they would need some time before the pre-sentence hearing to obtain reports in relation to Winmar’s rehabilitation.
The defence was also seeking that Winmar be assessed for a community corrections order, Mr Dann said.
The magistrate allowed the longer delay, adjourning the pre-sentencing hearing to August.
Winmar’s bail was extended to his next court date in Bendigo.
The 60-year-old was the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 games in the AFL.
He finished his career with 230 games at St Kilda and 21 for the Western Bulldogs.
Winmar is also co-leading a landmark racism class action against the AFL in the Victorian Supreme Court.
