A French court handed out a 6,000 euro suspended fine to John Galliano on Thursday after finding him guilty of anti-Semitic behaviour, marking the end in a fall from grace for the former head designer of fashion house Dior. For
Galliano, whose worth is estimated in the millions of dollars, the penalty — suspended for several years — avoids any financial burden and is unlikely to constrain his liberty. The fine, in line with what a prosecutor had recommended, falls short of the maximum sentence in such cases of a 22,000 euro fine and 6-month prison sentence.
“Despite the triple addiction from which he was suffering, he was lucid enough to be conscious of his acts,” said the tribunal president, Anne-Marie Sauteraud, reading out the court’s decision. The court explained its relatively lenient decision by referring to Galliano’s lack of criminal convictions, his previous regard for respect and tolerance and the treatment for drug and alcohol addiction he has sought since his arrest. She said Galliano had told the court he would have wanted to be present for the verdict, but did not attend to avoid confrontation with the press.
In addition to the fines, Galliano was sentenced to pay more than 5,000 euros in legal fees, plus 1 euro in symbolic damages, to each of the plaintiffs and civil parties in the case.
— Reuters