Australian court dismisses Kyrgios’ ex-girlfriend’s assault case
Sydney, Australia, Feb 3 (EFE).- An Australian court dismissed Friday the accusation of common assault against tennis player Nick Kyrgios, despite him pleading guilty at the same hearing to having pushed his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari in a January 2021 incident.
Judge Beth Campbell of the Australian Capital Territory Magistrates Court also ordered that the case not be recorded in the records of Kyrgios, who came to court on crutches due to an injury that prevented him from participating in last month’s Australian Open, state media ABC reported.
The magistrate said it considered the seriousness of the matter to be of “low level” and that the tennis player was not prone to reoffending.
“I respect today’s ruling and I’m grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction. I was not in a good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret. I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused,” Kyrgios said in a statement posted to his official Instagram account.
During the hearing held in Canberra, the 27-year-old admitted he pushed his then-girlfriend, in an incident during a heated argument in the garage of the building where Passari lived.
The court documents, cited by ABC, show Passari tried to prevent Kyrgios from opening the door of a taxi, until the athlete pushed her ex-partner and caused her to fall on her right side, injuring her shoulder and knee.
Before the decision to close the case, the magistrate rejected Kyrgios’s argument to dismiss the accusation on grounds that he suffered from mental health problems. The court determined Friday that the athlete does not suffer from a problem of significant depression, ABC said.
The tennis player – who admitted in the past to having psychological problems – said in his statement today that mental health problems are “tough” and make life seem “overwhelming,” which is why he has already sought help to feel better. EFE
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