MELBOURNE, Australia — Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios pleaded guilty to common assault on Friday at a court hearing in his hometown of Canberra, the capital of Australia. Shortly after, however, the court dismissed his charges.
Kyrgios, 27, was sentenced to up to two years in prison for shoving a former lover, but insisted the charges be dropped because he had mental health problems. After the court heard evidence that he did not suffer from severe depression, it dropped his bid.
His lawyers then sought to dismiss the conviction on the grounds that Kyrgios would suffer more damage than a typical defendant. The magistrate agreed, effectively dismissing the charges and allowing Kyrgios to walk away without a conviction or criminal record.
Magistrate Beth Campbell said the severity of the problem was at a “low level”, adding that she didn’t think the tennis star could be offended again.
An unexpected chain of events in a packed courtroom was sparked by an altercation in January 2021. Kyrgios was accused of pushing his former partner Chiarapassari when he tried to prevent him from getting into his Uber.
The couple briefly split after a questionable incident before reconciling.
In an Instagram post after the hearing, Kyrgios thanked the court for dismissing the charges, cited mental health issues at the time of the incident, and thanked friends, family and new partner Costine Hutzy. expressed the meaning of
“I wasn’t in a good place when this happened and I reacted to the difficult situation in a way that I deeply regret.” I sincerely apologize for this.”
“Mental health is tough,” he said, adding, “Right now I’m going to focus on recovering from my injury and moving forward in the best possible way.”
The general assault charged against Mr Kyrgios is Australia’s least petty assault charge and the victim experienced immediate unlawful violence, or threat thereof. Passari reported shoulder pain and a scrape on his knee after the altercation.
Known for his explosive statements on and off the court and his whimsical and engaging style of play, Kyrgios has become something of a folk hero in his native Australia by pushing the boundaries of what he can do. On Friday, he arrived in court on his crutches after recently undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.
Last month he awaited a warm welcome on the home ground of the Australian Open, the first major tennis tournament of the year. He withdrew just over 24 hours before his scheduled first round match due to his knee injury, which led to surgery.