YARRA: Mayor fights assault charge
City of Yarra Mayor Cr Stephen Jolly says that he will fight an assault charge linked to a local government election afterparty last year.
Police confirmed they had charged the 63-year-old with assault following an incident alleged on November 1 last year.
Cr Jolly told the ABC the charge related to a group of masked people who gatecrashed the afterparty and “terrorised” people.
The mayor denied assaulting anyone and said he reported the incident — as well as an alleged attack at a public housing rally in Collingwood in 2023 — to police.
He vowed to continue serving as mayor.
“It’s all nonsense,” he said. “I’m going to plead not guilty, vigorously defending myself if it ever does get to court.”