|
 Bieber had been charged in January with the assault of a
limousine driver in Toronto in December. The driver told police
that he had picked up six people, including Bieber, outside a
nightclub and that the singer had struck him on the back of the
head several times during an altercation on the way to a hotel.
"After completing a thorough review and, in consultation with
the police, the Crown determined that there was no reasonable
prospect of conviction. Accordingly, the charge against Mr.
Bieber was withdrawn," Brendan Crawley, a spokesman for the
Ontario Attorney General's office, said in an email.
Bieber's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said he welcomed the
prosecutor's decision.
"We have always maintained Mr. Bieber's innocence. The
withdrawal of the charge is the product of a thorough and
thoughtful review of the evidence by responsible prosecutors,"
Greenspan said in a statement.
While the December incident may now be behind him, 20-year-old
Bieber is still not out of legal trouble in Canada. He was
arrested and charged with assault and dangerous driving just
over a week ago near the town of Stratford, Ontario, where he
grew up.
Police said two drivers got into a "physical altercation" on
Aug. 29 after a minivan and an all-terrain vehicle collided near
Stratford. Bieber was visiting the area with Selena Gomez, the
pop singer and former Disney TV star. The two have been in a
four-year, on-and-off relationship.
[to top of second column] |
"Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez' peaceful retreat in Stratford this
weekend was unfortunately disrupted by the unwelcome presence of
paparazzi," Bieber's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said in an emailed
statement last week.
Bieber, whose songs include the hits "Boyfriend" and "Beauty and a
Beat," has been a favorite paparazzi target and has attracted more
attention lately for his run-ins with the law than for his
chart-toppers.
Also in August, Bieber pleaded guilty to careless driving and
resisting an officer without violence in Florida, part of a deal to
resolve allegations he had been drag racing in a Lamborghini under
the influence of drugs and alcohol in January.
Bieber is on probation in Los Angeles after pleading no contest in
July to misdemeanor vandalism for pelting a neighbor's home with
eggs.
(Reporting by Andrea Hopkins; Editing by Peter Galloway and Grant
McCool)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
