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Footy Star was so drunk he “had no recollection” of being headbutted by a Hong Kong tourist and called a “stupid f**k” in an unprovoked vicious attack
- Isiah Winder, 20, assaulted a tourist last December
- The 20-year-old was in Geelong for an AFL players’ summit
- The West Coast star “doesn’t remember the assault”
A young AFL gunman for the West Coast Eagles was so drunk the night he headbutted and abused a Hong Kong tourist who has no recollection of the assault, a court heard.
Geelong Magistrates Court heard on Wednesday that after a night of heavy drinking last December, Isiah Winder opened the door of a car hired by the tourist and his girlfriend outside the R Hotel in Geelong.
He then head-butted the victim twice and called him a “stupid piece of shit.”
Winder, 20, who has played seven games for the West Coast, was in Geelong for the AFL/AFLPA Indigenous and Multicultural Players Summit, which ran from late November to early December last year.
The midfielder, represented by Dr. David Grace KC, agreed to a diversion plan from the court that requires him to pay $1500 to the Mark West Foundation and write a letter of apology to his victim.
People are eligible for a diversion plan if they accept responsibility for the crime; however, upon conclusion of a diversion plan, charges are generally dropped and guilt is not determined.
West Coast Eagles young gun Isiah Winder, 20, was so drunk the night he headbutted and abused a Hong Kong tourist in Geelong last December that he has no recollection of the assault.
Winder (pictured right) has played seven AFL senior games for the West Coast after he was drafted in 2020
Documents released by the court reveal that Winder has been charged with two counts of unlawful assault on the tourist.
A prosecutor told the court that the victim and his girlfriend noticed Winder walking down Bellarine St in Geelong in a state of severe intoxication around midnight on Saturday 3 December.
Winder then approached his car and opened one of the doors before grabbing the victim by his shirt and assaulting him.
The victim, whom the court heard has no injuries but refused to contact the court about the assault, hid in the R Hotel lobby, where Winder later returned to his own room.
Prosecutors said that when police arrived, Winder was too drunk to be spoken to.
Dr Grace said Winder had attended a Summit-related function on Saturday night where “alcohol was flowing freely” before going to the Geelong Hotel, where he continued to drink and left when he began to feel unwell.
He said his client “didn’t remember what happened.”
Grace said the actions were “out of character” and that Winder had not drunk alcohol since the night of the incident.
He said that Winder wanted to carve out a successful football career and “right the wrong” of that night, saying that Winder had “excelled” in the AFL through his determination despite the “major obstacles that stood in his way”.
Isiah Winder left the courtroom without a conviction (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/AFL Photos/Getty Images)
Court recorder Michael Bolte said Winder was a “disciplined and determined” individual who had learned a “genuine life lesson”.
Bolte said he doubted Winder would ever be involved with the criminal justice system again.
“I wish you all the best,” he told the athlete. No convictions were recorded.
Winder was taken with the 57th pick in the 2020 AFL draft.
He was delisted at the end of the most recent season, before being reselected in the Rookie Draft.
The AFL and the West Coast Eagles have been contacted for comment.