Blues festival director to face court over alleged assault

Colin Thompson, director of Victoria’s Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival faces Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on December 19.

According to The Bendigo Advertiser, he is charged with unlawful assault over an incident at the town’s live music venue Golden Vine Hotel on July 19.

CCTV footage showed him allegedly slapping a production crew member on the stage after speaking to him for a few minutes, and then chasing him to the bar and putting him in a headlock.

Thompson was quickly removed from the area by other patrons.

In the application for a personal safety intervention in late August, the victim said Thompson was angry with a post he made on Facebook which described the eulogy he gave at a funeral, as “the words of a narcissist.”

Thompson admitted to the Advertiser he “experienced a moment of weakness” and “lashed out” at the victim with an “open hand”.

He added, “I’ve apologised to everyone I’ve known to have been there since as well.

“The only person I haven’t apologised to was (the victim) because I didn’t see the point in trying to engage with him since doing so on the 19th had not resulted in anything positive.”