Dwarf entertainer allegedly set on fire in St Kilda 'Mad Monday' event

Updated

Victoria Police and the St Kilda Football Club are investigating allegations that a dwarf entertainer was set on fire by a player at a so-called 'Mad Monday' event, which celebrates the end of the AFL season.

Entertainer Blake Johnston was hired by the players to perform at a function in South Melbourne yesterday.

Arthur Penn Serevetas, who was working with him, witnessed the incident when Mr Johnston was speaking with a group of players.

"He was talking to one of the footballers then another footballer went behind him," he said.

"He had one of those gaslighters that you light a stove up (with). He basically opened the flame.

"I saw that his shirt, because we were hired as security, and pants went alight and it slowly started. You know flames started appearing."

Eventually someone put the flames out.

Mr Serevetas says one of the players also threatened him.

"One of the gentlemen made a kind of initial threat to me that he'd throw me over a balcony," he said.

"I said to him you can have a shot if you want.

"I wasn't going to be bullied in that way. I've been bullied all my life."

Mr Serevetas drove Mr Johnston home after the incident.

The club is investigating to see if one of its players was involved and says the 'Mad Monday' events are organised by players not the club.

Police say Mr Johnston suffered minor injuries and his management has asked the club for an explanation.

AFL chief Andrew Demetriou has apologised after appearing to laugh when questioned about the incident on Channel Seven last night.

"I thought they were having me on. I thought it was a joke," he said.

Mr Demetriou says he does not like Mad Monday, calling it a product of a bygone era.

"After I found out that it was true, it's just reprehensible," he told Fairfax radio.

"I was flabbergasted, because in the scheme of all the things we've been (through), that would have been one I could never have predicted that we would deal with."

Mr Demetriou says he will apologise to Mr Johnston, and has condemned the alleged behaviour of the St Kilda players.

"When I was told that for some reason that I could never, never possibly fathom that there were people walking around with lighters, lighting the back of each other's shirts. I just couldn't believe that," he said.

Topics: antisocial-behaviour, australian-football-league, st-kilda-3182

First posted