Manly Pub Brawl lands Queenscliff man in court
A Queenscliff man has entered a not guilty plea following a violent late-night altercation at one of Manly's best-known licensed venues that left two patrons hospitalised and prompted a police investigation spanning multiple charges.
Adam Dudley, 36, appeared before Manly Local Court on Wednesday in connection with an alleged incident at the Ivanhoe Hotel on The Corso on January 25, during which two men were allegedly assaulted in quick succession.
Dudley pleaded not guilty to one count of affray.
Northern Beaches Police allege they were called to the venue around 11pm after reports that a patron had hurled a beer bottle at a 44-year-old man, striking him in the head. Officers were also advised that the same individual had subsequently struck a 49-year-old man with a bar stool.
Authorities allege both assaults followed a verbal dispute between Dudley and the two men. NSW Ambulance paramedics attended the scene to treat the first alleged victim for head injuries before he was transported to Royal North Shore Hospital. The second man was initially taken to Manly Police Station, where he was assessed by paramedics, before being transferred to Northern Beaches Hospital with minor injuries.
Dudley is alleged to have left the premises before police arrived. Following the release of CCTV footage from inside the Ivanhoe Hotel depicting a patron police wished to identify, Dudley was located and arrested at Dee Why Police Station at approximately 6pm the following day, January 26.
A police prosecutor informed the court that Northern Beaches detectives remain active in their investigation, with two additional charges potentially forthcoming.
The matter was adjourned for a mention hearing next month, with Dudley's bail continued in the interim.
Jonathan Jackson, 19th February 2026
