TORONTO — Pop star Justin Bieber pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting a Toronto-based paparazzo last summer near his hometown of Stratford, Ont.
The 21-year-old, who appeared via video link, received an absolute discharge on the assault charge — meaning he will not end up with a criminal conviction.
He is also guilty of careless driving and agreed to pay a fine of $750. A more serious dangerous driving charge was withdrawn.
Justice Kathryn McKerlie of the Stratford Court of Justice told Bieber: “The lesson in all of this is to think before you act.
Bieber was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police in Perth County following an Aug. 29, 2014 confrontation with freelance photographers Todd Gillis, 47, and Sean O’Neill, 32.
According to a summary of the case, the singer was riding an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) with then-girlfriend Selena Gomez and became “angry and disappointed” to see the photographers. He drove the ATV towards their vehicle. Police said there was minor damage to both the minivan and Bieber’s ATV.
Bieber yelled at Gillis, started swinging at him and tried to grab his camera.
Bieber then started to yell at O’Neill.
O’Neill, a contributor to CTV’s eTalk, and Gillis both syndicate celebrity pictures through the Pacific Coast News agency. Following the altercation, they plead guilty to trespassing on Bieber family property.
READ MORE: Bieber says “I’m sorry if I let you down.”
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Last September, an assault charge against Bieber in Toronto was dismissed. It stemmed from an alleged altercation with a limo driver in December 2013. The driver, Abdul Mohar, is suing Bieber.
Last August, Bieber pleaded guilty to careless driving and resisting arrest following his arrest in Miami Beach on Jan. 23, 2014.
In April of this year, Bieber settled a lawsuit filed by a paparazzo who claimed he was assaulted by the singer’s bodyguard outside a South Florida recording studio in 2013.
The pop star’s father Jeremy Bieber was convicted of assault causing bodily harm in Stratford in 1997 and sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years of probation. He was charged again with assault causing bodily harm in 2002 but the case was dismissed in January 2004.
Justin Bieber was born in London, Ont. but grew up in Stratford, about 150 km west of Toronto.
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