Tony Abbott head-butt attacker pleads guilty in court

18 Jan, 2018

A man has pleaded guilty to head-butting former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott.

Astro Labe, 38, admitted in court on Thursday to a charge of causing harm to a Commonwealth official. The incident happened in Hobart in September.

At the time Mr Abbott blamed the head-butt on his opposition to same-sex marriage, a claim later denied by Labe.

The Hobart man, a self-proclaimed anarchist, said he had been motivated by “personal hatred” for Mr Abbott.

A Hobart court heard Labe had followed Mr Abbott for 250m (820ft) before deliberately assaulting him, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

In September, Mr Abbott said he offered a handshake to Labe before being pulled in for a “Liverpool kiss”, for which he suffered a swollen lip.

Labe faces a maximum penalty of two years’ jail and a A$25,000 (?14,000, $19,000) fine. He will be sentenced in March. (Courtesy BBC)

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