Gaming

Man Who Allegedly Hit Wife On Live Stream Has Left Twitch Again

The internet welcomed MrDeadMoth's second exit, but also wondered why it took the community's outrage for this to happen.

by Amanda Yeo  6 January 2019
MrDeadMoth playing Fortnite

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In December last year, Australian Fortnite streamer Luke “MrDeadMoth” Munday was suspended from Twitch after he allegedly hit his wife during a live stream. He was allowed to return to the service less than a month later on New Year’s Eve, a decision many found abhorrent. Now, it seems he’s disappeared again.

Munday’s return to the streaming platform on December 31 was met with more foes than fans, as video of his alleged assault on his partner had gone viral earlier that month. Many took to Twitter to express anger at both him and at Twitch’s apparent failure to enforce lasting consequences for his actions.

In an apparent effort to avoid his critics, 26-year-old Munday set his Twitch channel so only subscribers could use the chat, and only after they’d been subscribed for 10 minutes. Some still subscribed to his channel for the purpose of deriding him, but according to Dexerto, viewers who mentioned the alleged domestic violence incident were banned or timed out of the chat.

Now, less than a week after his return, Munday appears to have left Twitch once more. Munday’s Twitch channel went down on January 4, the page greeting visitors with a message stating that its “content is unavailable”. His Twitter profile has also been changed to direct people to a Twitch channel called “haardwithstyle“, Munday’s former handle, though it has also been disabled.

The internet welcomed Munday’s second exit from Twitch, but also wondered why it took the community’s outrage for this to happen. Many feel that Twitch’s moderation is inconsistent, some reporting having served longer bans for offences they felt were minor in comparison.

It is unclear how long Munday will remain off the streaming site, particularly as it is unknown whether his latest removal was due to action taken by Twitch or by Munday himself. It is possible Munday decided attempting to moderate his flood of detractors was too herculean a task. The YouTube channel now linked in Munday’s Twitter profile is also unavailable, though his Twitter account remains. His last tweet was on December 31 — a reminder that his return Twitch stream was due to begin in two hours.

Twitch has continued to refrain from commenting on this matter specifically. When contacted by Junkee for comment regarding Munday’s situation, a Twitch spokesperson provided this statement:

“Protecting the integrity of our community is incredibly important to us. We want everyone on Twitch to have a safe and positive experience and work constantly toward that goal. Part of that work includes examining our policies and practices when we find they don’t properly address specific incidents to ensure we’re adapting as the Twitch community grows.”

Munday was charged with common assault in connection to the live streamed alleged domestic violence incident. His case in Camden Local Court has been adjourned until January 10.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

Men can access anonymous confidential telephone counselling to stop using violent and controlling behaviour through the men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.