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Appearing in a Canberra court on Friday (February 3), Nick Kyrgios pled guilty to the assault charge against him filed by his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari. The 27-year-old's guilty plea came after his lawyers failed to have the charge dismissed on mental health grounds.
Kyrgios, who is currently recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his knee, was charged with common assault after he was alleged to have assaulted his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari on January 10, 2021. He is said to have pushed Passari onto the pavement during a row, the court was informed.
The Wimbledon finalist acknowledged pushing his former partner onto the pavement after she stopped his car from driving away following a fight.
Kyrgios' lawyer Michael Kukulies-Smith argued that he was trying to de-escalate the fight by calling an Uber, and had repeatedly tried to "lawfully" move Passari away from the car before the incident took place.
"It is in that context and the frustration that resulted, that my client reacted and the offence occurred. There is a relationship between the mental health and the offending - even though he no longer suffers it to the same extent today," he said.
While Pasari initially reported the incident to the police in February 2021, she did not make a formal complaint. Instead, the two reconciled and resumed their relationship. It was only after they broke up that Pasari, in December 2021, lodged a formal complaint.
While a conviction in the case carried a maximum jail sentence of two years, Magistrate Beth Campbell dismissed it and spared the World No. 20 a criminal record.
What the judge told Nick Kyrgios before dismissing assault charges
Magistrate Beth Campbell, presiding over Nick Kyrgios' case, dismissed the charges by calling the incident "a single act of stupidity or frustration". She also stated that he was "a young man trying to extricate himself from a heightened emotional situation".
"You acted in the heat of the moment. I am dealing with you in the same way I would deal with any young man in this court. You are a young man who happens to hit a tennis ball particularly well," she said (via BBC).
