Australian Twitch streamer Luke "MrDeadMoth" Munday has pleaded guilty to assaulting his pregnant wife during a live Fortnite stream. The plea, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, happened Monday before magistrate Ian Cheetham in Picton Local Court.
The assault, which occurred off-camera last December 10th, was a controversial moment for Twitch moderation, who only issued a 2 week ban for MrDeadMoth despite audibly assaulting his wife on stream and being arrested by police. After returning, a public outcry eventually led to MrDeadMoth being permanently banned, but the poor judgement has left a black mark on Twitch that continues to influence public perception of the platform to this day.
The assault on Friday, December 10th was a shocking experience for viewers as the altercation progressed in real time on Twitch. While playing Fornite on stream, MrDeadMoth began arguing with his wife off-screen. His wife, identified in court as Ms. Campbell, can be heard telling the streamer to stop playing games and join his family for dinner.
MrDeadMoth resists, repeating "I'll be out soon" as Ms. Campbell begins to throw boxes and debris at him. He commands her to stop, saying "I'll start throwing sh*** back at you, see how you like it." The throwing continues, and eventually the streamer leaves his computer and confronts Ms. Campbell. A loud slap can be heard, and the woman begins loudly crying, saying "You're a f***ing woman basher!"
Viewers called the police, and Munday was arrested. Since pleading guilty to assault on Monday, Ms. Campbell has also been charged with 2 counts of common assault for throwing a kettle at Munday. She is out on bail, and is not permitted to contact Munday. Munday's sentencing has been adjourned to August 26.
Twitch's handling of the situation has been a point of scrutiny for the community. Once MrDeadMoth returned to streaming after his 2 week ban, a flood of reports from viewers eventually led to his permanent ban on the platform. More recently, Dr Disrespect received the same 2 week ban for live streaming inside the restroom at E3. These transgression draw attention to the inconsistency with which Twitch handles terms of service violations and makes evident the level of difficulty involved in policing live content.