Ah, Neighbours! It's the Aussie soap we've known, loved, and shamelessly binged for over 30 years now - and it's been the sole source for many of us to stay connected to the yesteryear.

Actors are notorious for run-ins with the law and the latest seems to be ex-Neighbours long-term cast member, Scott McGregor.

McGregor, who played police detective Mark Brennan on the soap, found himself arrested and charged with one count of 'sexually touching' a woman without her consent while he was at the Hotel Esplanade, more popularly known as the 'Espy', in suburban Melbourne in November of last year.

At Thursday's hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the police presented CCTV vision footage taken from behind the bar of the iconic pub, allegedly showing the actor 'touching' the woman who was standing behind him at the time.

The ex-Neighbours actor is contesting an accusation of 'sexually touching' a woman who was standing behind him at a bar in St Kilda. Credit: Instagram/Scott McGregor/The Esplanade.

McGregor's lawyer Carly Marc argued that the footage didn't capture any evidence supporting the charge, claiming that he was just standing there looking in the front the entire time.

She then called on the magistrate to demand the police provide supporting footage from three other cameras within the venue - a demand that the prosecutors could not answer.

The court heard that detectives had failed to collect the footage at the time, and by the time they asked, it had already been erased.

Marc then suggested that the footage taken from the rear of the bar, which could have exonerated her client, remained the only one.

The prosecution then confirmed that only a single still image was left of said footage. Marc then suspected that the evidence was 'selective' - which made it clear that, as of now, very little can be done about it.

It was also alleged that McGregor had no interactions with the woman before the incident and that she had complained to the bar staff before reporting the incident to the police.

McGregor, who has been nominated for four Logies since his Neighbours career began and appeared in other shows like Underbelly, Offspring, and Winners & Losers, adamantly denies the charge and is set to contest it at a two-day hearing in August.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first legal battle that McGregor has faced. In 2019, McGregor experienced a glassing incident at the Hollywood Showgirls Club on the Gold Coast of Queensland.

Danielle 'Ivy' Lee, an exotic dancer, threw a glass at McGregor's face in a fit of rage, causing a small cut that necessitated three stitches.

Lee pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, claiming that McGregor had verbally abused her after she approached him in the club.

However, the court determined that her response was disproportionate to the offence, and she was found guilty. She was released on a $1,000 good behaviour bond, and no conviction was recorded.

Additionally, she was ordered to pay $80 to cover McGregor's medical expenses.

Key Takeaways

• Neighbours actor Scott McGregor has been accused of sexually touching a woman without consent at a Melbourne pub in November 2021.
• McGregor's lawyer argued that CCTV footage presented by the police didn't show any evidence supporting the charge.
• The court discovered that additional footage, which could have helped the case, was erased before police collected it, raising suspicions of selective evidence.
• McGregor denies the charge and is set to contest it at a two-day hearing in August.

Members, this story serves as a reminder of how quickly a night out can take a turn for the worse. It is important to always remain alert and aware of our surroundings, especially in pubs and clubs.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for any criminal behaviour and immediately inform the authorities in the unfortunate event of witnessing a crime.

Do you have any tips for staying safe while out and about on a night out? Share your tips in the comments below.

 

[Rob44]

I know a bloke who accidentally touched a woman on the shoulder and got accused of said crime and was complained about and hauled over the coals for it by his boss and was forced to write an apology.

We don't need that sort of garbage. Blokes; don't talk, don't look and stand clear!

 

[maxesmum]

As a woman,I’m all for the just say no movement. That said,I’ve seen firsthand,the appalling damage some of these idiot women cause by trumping up charges on men simply because they can. It ruins lives. The ramifications are truly horrible. Judges need to stomp on these women IF they are caught out lying about something like this. They need to know there a huge consequences for their actions.

 

[Penny4]

There's no doubt, there would be some women who recognize tv actors and think $ in their head.

 

[Oldgirllaughing]

And to get some attention.

 

[Lizzylou]

I agree that there has been several cases which have been unfounded and the women have lied to get some attention, sadly this seems to be the norm for this day and age, where once you were innocent till proven guilty you are now guilty and have to desperately prove you are innocent. However this has made it harder for women who have actually been assaulted because other women have lied which makes it harder for those who are not lying.

 

[Rob44]

I agree that there has been several cases which have been unfounded and the women have lied to get some attention, sadly this seems to be the norm for this day and age, where once you were innocent till proven guilty you are now guilty and have to desperately prove you are innocent. However this has made it harder for women who have actually been assaulted because other women have lied which makes it harder for those who are not lying.

I must confess confess that things have gone a bit far when a couple of locally known women's libbers in a small country town walking along the same pavement as my 76-year old father both deliberately spat in his face for absolutely no reason other than him being male. Complain to the police? And get two female witnesses saying it never happened, against a single male? Just not worth the problems it would cause.

 

[maggiej]

I agree with the comments of the above members. It is so easy to be touched by anyone in a crowd that one is not interested in going out these days for fear of accusations such as this.

 

[Jest]

Ah, Neighbours! It's the Aussie soap we've known, loved, and shamelessly binged for over 30 years now - and it's been the sole source for many of us to stay connected to the yesteryear.

Actors are notorious for run-ins with the law and the latest seems to be ex-Neighbours long-term cast member, Scott McGregor.

McGregor, who played police detective Mark Brennan on the soap, found himself arrested and charged with one count of 'sexually touching' a woman without her consent while he was at the Hotel Esplanade, more popularly known as the 'Espy', in suburban Melbourne in November of last year.

At Thursday's hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the police presented CCTV vision footage taken from behind the bar of the iconic pub, allegedly showing the actor 'touching' the woman who was standing behind him at the time.

View attachment 19161

The ex-Neighbours actor is contesting an accusation of 'sexually touching' a woman who was standing behind him at a bar in St Kilda. Credit: Instagram/Scott McGregor/The Esplanade.

McGregor's lawyer Carly Marc argued that the footage didn't capture any evidence supporting the charge, claiming that he was just standing there looking in the front the entire time.

She then called on the magistrate to demand the police provide supporting footage from three other cameras within the venue - a demand that the prosecutors could not answer.

The court heard that detectives had failed to collect the footage at the time, and by the time they asked, it had already been erased.

Marc then suggested that the footage taken from the rear of the bar, which could have exonerated her client, remained the only one.

The prosecution then confirmed that only a single still image was left of said footage. Marc then suspected that the evidence was 'selective' - which made it clear that, as of now, very little can be done about it.

It was also alleged that McGregor had no interactions with the woman before the incident and that she had complained to the bar staff before reporting the incident to the police.

McGregor, who has been nominated for four Logies since his Neighbours career began and appeared in other shows like Underbelly, Offspring, and Winners & Losers, adamantly denies the charge and is set to contest it at a two-day hearing in August.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first legal battle that McGregor has faced. In 2019, McGregor experienced a glassing incident at the Hollywood Showgirls Club on the Gold Coast of Queensland.

Danielle 'Ivy' Lee, an exotic dancer, threw a glass at McGregor's face in a fit of rage, causing a small cut that necessitated three stitches.

Lee pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm, claiming that McGregor had verbally abused her after she approached him in the club.

However, the court determined that her response was disproportionate to the offence, and she was found guilty. She was released on a $1,000 good behaviour bond, and no conviction was recorded.

Additionally, she was ordered to pay $80 to cover McGregor's medical expenses.

Key Takeaways

• Neighbours actor Scott McGregor has been accused of sexually touching a woman without consent at a Melbourne pub in November 2021.
• McGregor's lawyer argued that CCTV footage presented by the police didn't show any evidence supporting the charge.
• The court discovered that additional footage, which could have helped the case, was erased before police collected it, raising suspicions of selective evidence.
• McGregor denies the charge and is set to contest it at a two-day hearing in August.

Members, this story serves as a reminder of how quickly a night out can take a turn for the worse. It is important to always remain alert and aware of our surroundings, especially in pubs and clubs.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for any criminal behaviour and immediately inform the authorities in the unfortunate event of witnessing a crime.

Do you have any tips for staying safe while out and about on a night out? Share your tips in the comments below.

I do not watch soaps but the ads are bad enough. watching tongues go down throats is not on my watching lists. The girls are mostly naked and call me a fuddy duddy but soon they will not be wearing clothes. Well they might as well not. I do like to use my imagination.

 

[Gsr]

While I feel for anyone who is assaulted by any means I also believe that if you are out in a line up or a crowded area there is always going to be some form of unintentional bumping, touching, brushing parts of someone else’s body that will happen. In most cases this doesn’t constitute assault in any form and I don’t see how any charges can be made to stick if this is what happened. I had a cousin whose ex partner got their daughter to claim sexual abuse by her father, who spent time in prison over it, only for the daughter, once she was older to inform the police it never did happen but that the mother told her she had to tell the police it did for whatever reason. Being young the daughter didn’t realise at the time how wrong it was. The father was released, the mother was charged and fined. The daughter reconciled with her father but had little time with him as he passed away from cancer shortly after his release. Makes me wonder how many times these sorts of things happen.

 

[Rob44]

While I feel for anyone who is assaulted by any means I also believe that if you are out in a line up or a crowded area there is always going to be some form of unintentional bumping, touching, brushing parts of someone else’s body that will happen. In most cases this doesn’t constitute assault in any form and I don’t see how any charges can be made to stick if this is what happened. I had a cousin whose ex partner got their daughter to claim sexual abuse by her father, who spent time in prison over it, only for the daughter, once she was older to inform the police it never did happen but that the mother told her she had to tell the police it did for whatever reason. Being young the daughter didn’t realise at the time how wrong it was. The father was released, the mother was charged and fined. The daughter reconciled with her father but had little time with him as he passed away from cancer shortly after his release. Makes me wonder how many times these sorts of things happen.

Once she was older.....whilst the crap her father had had to put up with in prison and the death of his public reputation went on. How does one prove innocence? The mother should have been jailed for the equal length of time as the father's original sentence!

 

[Rosalie30]

I’m not going to state the obvious…..