Taylor Swift’s father, Scott Kingsley Swift, will not face police charges over accusations he punched a photographer in Australia in February.
The complainant was photographer Ben McDonald, who told police that Scott Swift struck him in the face at Neutral Bay Wharf in Sydney on February 27, hours after his pop star daughter’s Australian tour had ended.
Following a month-long investigation, New South Wales police have confirmed no further action would be taken.
A statement given to the PA news agency said: “Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command have conducted an investigation following a report of an assault at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am on Tuesday, February 27.
“No further police action.”
The alleged confrontation happened after Mr Swift and his daughter left a yacht, in the hours after the final of her four Eras Tour dates in Sydney.
Taylor's publicist Tree Paine had told Rolling Stone magazine that two people had “pushed their way” towards her entourage when the alleged incident happened.
Veteran photographer Mr McDonald described the incident at the time as a “punch in the chops” that “didn’t require medical assistance”.
Who is Scott Kingsley Swift?
Scott Kingsley Swift is one of his daughter’s biggest cheerleaders. He was born on March 5, 1952, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
He married Swift’s mum, Andrea Gardner Finlay, in 1988, and the couple welcomed their daughter one year later.
Growing up on the 11-acre Pine Ridge farm in Pennsylvania, Swift and her younger brother Austin, 31, reportedly enjoyed a comfortable upbringing.
When Swift was 14, her parents decided to move to Nashville to support her musical career.
Throughout her ascent to stardom, Scott has been by his daughter’s side at every step of the way. He’s used his marketing skills and financial background to help the singer with her business management.
Reflecting on her relationship with her dad, Swift told Vogue in 2012: “My dad is a Chatty Cathy, the social butterfly; friendly; knows everybody in the whole world by six degrees; tells me that every performance is the greatest he’s ever seen, every new outfit is the coolest. Constant cheerleader. It’s cool to have pie-in-the-sky dad, down-to-earth mom.”
Scott has also supported his daughter at countless performances, even reportedly handing out guitar picks backstage to those supporting her show. But, in true fatherly style, he’s also known for teasing his daughter during her tours.
She wrote on MySpace: “He's a social butterfly, and loves being on tour. He loves it so much, he thinks it's absolutely hilarious to embarrass me as much as possible.”
Swift has also mentioned her dad in some of her songs – and even shared a sneak peek of him behind the scenes while filming a music video.
While Scott couldn’t be prouder of his daughter, away from the spotlight he’s also suffered his struggles. In 2019, Swift said, “Both of my parents have had cancer.”
He’s also reportedly big on his philanthropy, supporting numerous honourable charities and organisations related to education and disaster relief.
What does Taylor Swift’s dad do?
Swift senior is a stockbroker and has a deep passion for working in the financial sector.
He later reportedly went on to work as a financial adviser for Merrill Lynch, an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. He also played a key role in the formation of the Swift Group, a financial advisory group belonging to Merrill Lynch.
While Scott Swift is above retirement age, it’s unclear whether he still works on some financial projects when he’s not supporting his daughter at her gigs.
What is his net worth?
According to online estimates, Swift’s dad is pretty wealthy and could be worth around $100 million (£79m).
His work in the financial sector and his daughter’s global fame have likely helped him gain some impressive savings.
