Australian Fortnite streamer charged with assault after beating his wife on stream

A Sydney-based video game streamer has gone viral after allegedly beating his wife during a Twitch stream. The 26 year old man, who goes by the username MrDeadMoth, has been charged with common assault and served with an apprehended violence order. The incident took place during a game of Fortnite when the couple got into a verbal altercation that lead MrDeadMoth to stand up out of his seat, go off-camera, and audibly slap his wife. The woman begins wailing in pain as MrDeadMoth returns to his seat until the verbal altercations continue, leading the streamer to go off-camera and physically abuse his wife once again.

Videos of the abuse can be found online although a trigger warning is certainly needed. Individuals, particularly those who have been impacted by domestic abuse, may find the footage confronting.

Those watching the stream during the time of the incident were quick to report the abuse. Thankfully the altercation was mostly captured on camera allowing police to act quickly. The man’s wife was captured saying “You’re a woman basher” and “Don’t hit me in the face.” Sounds of their young child could also be heard within the video.

Whilst support for the victim has been plentiful, an equally loud subset of people have defended the abuser, accusing the wife of “baiting” the streamer into attacking her. Animosity towards the victim continued to grow across multiple social media outlets as the video continued to circulate. Many individuals sympathised with the man and called the woman out for throwing things at the streamer including, but not limited to, an empty cardboard box.

I feel as though it should go without saying that we should never be blaming the victim. These attitudes held by what seems like a decently large proportion of the viewers are incredibly problematic. We shouldn’t be searching for excuses to domestic violence, nor should we be finding ways to vilify somebody who appears to be the continued victim of physical abuse.

The man has been banned from Twitch and charged with assault. He has been granted conditional bail and will appear at court this week.