TAYLOR Swift’s dad assaulted a paparazzo at a ferry wharf after stepping off a £1,500-an-hour superyacht, it has been alleged.
The star was spotted on the luxury boat in Sydney in the early hours of the morning, reportedly celebrating the end of her Aussie shows.
Paparazzo Ben McDonald, 51, alleged Scott Swift, 71, assaulted him at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am local time on Tuesday.
The alleged bust-up took place after Taylor Swift, 34, performed her final Australian show on Monday.
McDonald told police that the popstar’s dad punched him in the face hours after the concert, as the singer was returning to her hotel.
He claimed: “It was just a punch in the chops. It’s a little tender, but I don’t have any bruising and it didn’t require medical assistance.
“In 23 years, I haven’t been assaulted and punched in the chops, particularly by the talent’s dad.”
A representative for the megastar also released a statement, accusing media personnel of being aggressive.
It read: “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
Cops are investigating the allegations.
The Shake It Off singer is believed to have hired the superyacht to celebrate the Australian leg of her Eras Tour coming to an end, 9news reports.
She played seven sold-out shows while in the country.
The 120-foot Quantum boat, built by Warren Yachts, costs just under $3,000 (£1,500) an hour to hire and has capacity for up to 45 guests.
Eight people can sleep overnight in its four cabins: a king-size master cabin, a VIP queen cabin, and two guest double cabins.
All four cabins come with ensuites.
There are three levels of fun for guests to enjoy, including an entertainment deck stocked with kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.
And it has a hydraulic lowering swimming platform which the boat’s more avid swimmers can launch from.
The superyacht would cost $22,000 (£11,000) to hire for 24 hours or $75,000 (£39,000) to hire for Sydney’s New Year’s Eve.
Guests can hire it to cruise the harbour and explore Pittwater in Sydney’s north, or to go so far as Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays.
A full professional crew is included in the hire price.
Pictures of the vessel’s interior show a clean multi-level yacht with enough seating space for dozens of people to dine and relax.
The cabins and ensuites are spacious and resemble something you might expect to find in a luxury hotel, rather than on a boat.
Paparazzo McDonald said that members of the media waited to photograph Taylor Swift as she walked with her entourage from the superyacht to two waiting cars.
He said: “There were about four or five security there and at one point, one of the American security started shoving his umbrella into me and my camera and then Taylor got in her car.
“Someone else came running at me and punched me in the left side of my face.
“Initially, I thought it was an Australian security that was trying to be the hero of the moment in the front of the Americans, but as it turned out it was her father.”
The photographer claimed he only realised his alleged attacker was not a security professional when he was reviewing pictures from the evening and saw that he and the singer were holding hands.
McDonald said he identified Scott Swift from a picture he saw online.
He added: “We didn’t go rushing down the jetty. We didn’t go rushing to the back of the boat. We waited for her to come up. Kept it very civil.
“But no, they had to be (expletives) and put the umbrellas up and umbrellas over her and then shove the umbrellas into our faces and then make out that were the ones making contact with them.”
Known to Taylor’s fans as “Papa Swift”, Scott is often seen handing out sandwiches, fruit, guitar picks, and VIP passes to people in the audience at his daughter’s concerts.
He formerly worked as a financial adviser.
Taylor’s private jet was seen leaving Sydney Airport several hours after the alleged incident.
The next stop on her Eras Tour is Singapore, where she will play to more than 300,000 fans at six sold-out shows.
