Justin Bieber Pleads Guilty in Assault and Careless Driving Case
He got a $750 fine and no criminal charges were handed down, his lawyer said.
— -- Justin Bieber pleaded guilty Thursday to simple assault and careless driving stemming from an incident last summer in Stratford, Canada.
His lawyer Brian H. Greenspan told ABC News his careless driving charge is not a criminal driving offense, which means it was inadvertent. The singer, 21, received a $750 fine on that charge.
The simple assault charge was an absolute discharge, which means it's the most lenient disposition available, he said. It's an acceptance of guilt, but comes with no criminal conviction because it was spontaneous and happened for less than a minute.
Bieber was arrested last Aug. 29 after allegedly collided with a minivan while driving an all-terrain vehicle.
OPP Constable Kees Wijnands told reporters last summer the assault charge came after Bieber, whom he described as "very polite," got into an altercation with a man inside the van, later identified as a photographer.
Greenspan told ABC News Bieber appeared Thursday via video link from Los Angeles streamed into the court in Stratford and that he was respectful, adding that Stratford is a place the singer goes to see his father and get away from the limelight of cameras and paparazzi.
Justice Kathryn McKerlie had some advice for the singer during the court proceedings about losing his temper.
“The lesson in all of this is to think before you act,” McKerlie said, according to the Toronto Star. “Everybody in life, no matter who they are, encounters difficult and disappointing and surprising situations.”
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