On the night of 18 January 2004, Hookes went to the Beaconsfield Hotel in West St Kilda, Melbourne, with members of the Victorian and South Australian cricket teams, including former Australian coach Darren Lehmann, to celebrate a win by the former over the latter in a one-day match. Christine Padfield was also with Hookes, as was a friend of Padfield's, Tania Plumpton. Soon after midnight, a brawl erupted between the party and hotel staff. There are conflicting stories about the reason. It seemed to have been generated by a "last drinks" call by hotel staff. It is also unclear whether the party left voluntarily or were forced to leave.