Galliano guilty of anti-Semitism

8 September 2011 Last updated at 07:58 ET

John Galliano did not appear in court on Thursday

British fashion designer John Galliano, who has admitted racially abusing a couple in public at a Paris restaurant, has been given suspended fines of 6,000 euros (£4,250).

The designer, fired by the Dior fashion house over the incident, said he had no recollection of the events and denied being racist.

Mr Galliano apologised for his behaviour at a one-day trial in June.

He blamed drug and alcohol addictions for his outburst.

Prosecutors had asked for a fine of 10,000 euros ($14,000; £8,800).

The BBC’s Christian Fraser, in Paris, says the greatest punishment has been the damage to Mr Galliano’s career; he was sacked by Dior after his arrest and the cost to his reputation has been far bigger than any fine a court can impose.

‘I apologise’

Mr Galliano did not attend Thursday’s sentencing.

He was charged with “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity”. The offences carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail, but prosecutors did not ask for the designer to be sent to prison.

During his trial on 22 June, the court heard how Mr Galliano harangued museum curator Geraldine Bloch about being Jewish during an argument at La Perle cafe in the Marais district of Paris.

He also hurled racist insults at her friend, who is of South Asian origin, for 45 minutes before police came to break up the argument, the court heard.

Prosecutors also showed the court an amateur video of Mr Galliano, while drunk, declaring a love for Hitler.

The designer, 50, did not have to enter a plea to the charges at the hearing, but gave mitigating statements to the court about the incident.

He told the court: “They are not views that I hold or believe in. I apologise for the sadness this whole affair has caused.”

Mr Galliano blamed mounting pressure at work and said he had developed a crippling addiction to alcohol, valium and sleeping pills.

So common were these drinking binges his chauffeur was “trained” to telephone a lawyer if the rows became too heated, the court was told.

Mr Galliano took over the creative helm of Dior in 1996 and won British Fashion Designer of the Year on four occasions.

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