Tony Abbott head-butt: Attacker pleads guilty in court
- Published
Tony Abbott was head-butted in Hobart in September
A man has pleaded guilty to head-butting former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott.
Astro Labe, 38, admitted on Thursday to a charge of causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. The incident happened in September.
At the time Mr Abbott blamed the head-butt on his opposition to same-sex marriage, a claim later denied by Labe.
The Hobart man, a self-proclaimed anarchist, said he had been motivated by "personal hatred" for Mr Abbott.
He faces a maximum penalty of two years' jail and a A$25,000 (£14,000; $19,000) fine.
'Liverpool kiss'
A court heard Labe had been drinking at a bar when he saw Mr Abbott enter a newspaper office in Hobart.
When Mr Abbott came out, Labe followed him for 250m (800ft) before deliberately assaulting him, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.
Mr Abbott said he had offered a handshake to Labe before being pulled in for a "Liverpool kiss", for which he suffered a swollen lip.
On Thursday, a magistrate questioned whether Labe had acted "spontaneously", as claimed by his lawyer, because he had joked about head-butting Mr Abbott earlier in the day.
The incident took place during a two-month national vote on same-sex marriage, which was later legalised.
Labe had been wearing a "vote yes" sticker, prompting Mr Abbott to suggest the head-butt was an example of the debate turning nasty.
But Labe said his actions had "nothing to do" with same-sex marriage.
He will be sentenced in March.