A senior Australian executive at a $7.2 billion artificial intelligence start-up has been charged with assault following an alleged violent attack on a guitarist in a heavy metal band at a popular CBD bar.
Timothy Bentley, vice president of sales for the Asia Pacific region at cybersecurity tech company Abnormal AI, is scheduled to face two charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.
According to eyewitness accounts, the altercation at the Ramblin Rascal Tavern on Friday, February 13, began shortly before The Grand Union, a local band that performs in pubs around Sydney, were due to play.
After a group of men, including Bentley, allegedly began heckling the band, The Grand Union’s guitarist and songwriter Stu Greenwood told them to stop. Bentley allegedly then punched Greenwood in the face, leaving him with a broken nose and chipped tooth, according to medical records seen by this masthead.
Bentley then allegedly punched a member of another band, Bloody Legend, who tried to intervene, before leaving the premises and heading into the Metro. The second alleged victim, John Flaws, suffered a split lip that required stitches. Photographs taken at the scene obtained by this masthead show blood on the alleged victim’s face and the street outside.
Bentley was later apprehended by police and charged with assault, with the incident captured by the venue’s CCTV. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison. NSW Police declined to comment, citing the matter being before the courts.
Abnormal AI, a Las Vegas-based start-up which uses AI software to guard against cyberattacks, was founded in 2018. In a 2024 funding round, Abnormal raised $US250 million ($351 million) from investors and was valued at $US5.1 billion ($7.2 billion).
Among other services, Abnormal makes tools to stop “fallible” humans from falling for phishing emails, in which cyber criminals try to fool staff at a company into disclosing sensitive information by mimicking correspondence from colleagues or professional acquaintances.
Bentley, who was born in Britain, launched Abnormal in the Asia Pacific region in 2021.
According to Abnormal’s website, he founded email security company MessageLabs in 2003, which was later acquired by cybersecurity company Symantec. He later launched Abnormal Security, as Abnormal AI was then known.
Abnormal and Bentley did not respond to requests for comment.
Rohin Sharma, The Grand Union’s guitarist, said the band was shocked by the alleged incident, which was part of a worrying trend of poor behaviour at live shows.
“We’re here on our own time to give people a good night out and, like most local bands, these are self-funded passion projects that involve many hours of writing, rehearsing and recording,” Sharma said.
“It’s a sad indictment on Sydney’s live music scene and points to an alarming growing trend of heckling and violence at live shows and bars.”
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Kishor Napier-Raman is a senior business writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Previously he worked as a CBD columnist and reporter in the federal parliamentary press gallery.Connect via X or email.
