A One Nation volunteer has suffered horrific injuries after allegedly being bashed with a baseball bat by a father and son from New Zealand.
The 60-year-old was hospitalised after the alleged attack, which took place in Torquay, Victoria, at about 7.45pm on Sunday, after he confronted a teenager who was allegedly damaging One Nation signage.
When the victim came out of the Scorpio Street property he was allegedly bashed by the 14-year-old and his father, a 37-year-old man, who are both in Australia on Special Category Visas and live in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, News24 reported.
Police arrived at the scene to find the pair allegedly damaging a vehicle, and arrested both alleged attackers, who were not known to the 60-year-old man.
The 14-year-old was issued with a caution, while the 37-year-old, who lives in Hampton Park, was charged with intentionally causing injury and other assault-related offences, and was remanded in custody to appear in court on November 10.
The One Nation volunteer, a father-of-two, suffered serious head injuries, facial fractures and internal bleeding, and a GoFundMe has been set up to support him.
“He runs his own business and is the family’s only income earner. While he is recovering, the family has no money coming in. His work vehicle was also badly damaged in the alleged attack,” the fundraiser states.
“His family should be able to focus on his recovery without the added worry of lost income, medical costs and everyday bills.”
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson visited the alleged victim at Geelong Hospital on Tuesday, and appeared visibly upset and emotional while speaking out about the alleged attack.
“He’s got bleeding on the brain, apparently it’s going deeper, it’s being monitored,” Hanson told media.
“He’s badly bruised, you couldn’t even recognise the man. His swelling is starting to go down. He had bleeding from basically every orifice from his face.
“It’s very distressing, I find it very distressing now… I’m very emotional about this because I respect people who support me. I’m crying out now for something to be done.”
The alleged attack comes after a pub in Ballarat was spraypainted with anti-One Nation slogans, far-left extremists called for the death of Ms Hanson at an event in Melbourne, and a volunteer was bashed in Brisbane.
Header image: Left, the man’s injuries (GoFundMe). Right, Pauline Hanson speaking out about the alleged attack (News24).
