Ernie Dingo to fight “slap” charge

TV presenter Ernie Dingo has pleaded not guilty to assaulting an 11-year-old boy at a school in the West Australian town of Carnarvon.

Dingo was not required to attend the first hearing of the aggravated common assault at the Carnarvon Magistrates Court today. He entered a plea of not guilty in a letter to the court.

WA Police allege the 54-year-old slapped the boy on the face at a school assembly on July 28.

The court was told there will be seven witnesses in the case, most of them teachers and students.

Members of Dingo’s extended family attended the court to show their support.

Dingo, best known for his appearances in The Great Outdoors and Bran Nue Dae, will now face trial in Carnarvon, next February.

Source: The Australian, ABC