Assault charge for man who squashed pie into Qantas boss' face
A man who said he squashed a lemon meringue pie into the face of the boss of Qantas Airways in protest at the airline's support of same-sex marriage has been charged with assault.
Tony Overheu, a 67-year-old Christian and former sheep farmer, faces a charge of common assault, trespass and damage.
The incident happened on Tuesday as chief executive and Dublin man Alan Joyce gave a speech to 500 people in a Perth hotel.
Pie thrown in face of @Qantas chief Alan Joyce while in Perth. https://t.co/IOrUGlTbg8 #ausbiz #7News pic.twitter.com/XichTGnL5i
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) May 9, 2017
Mr Joyce was on stage when Overheu approached from behind, pressed the pie in his face and then strolled away.
Overheu later released a statement accusing Qantas and other companies that support marriage equality of "corporate bullying aimed at social engineering".
Mr Joyce, who is gay, said he would not be silenced by the attack.
"Qantas has always spoken up on gender issues, on LGBTI issues, on Indigenous issues and we will continue to do so and no attempt at bullying us into suppressing our voice will work," he told reporters in Perth.
Overheu has also been charged with giving police a false name. He is scheduled to appear in a Perth court next month.
- AP
