Canadian police charged Justin Bieber with assaulting a limousine driver in Toronto in December, the latest in a string of legal troubles for the young pop star.
The alleged incident happened in the early hours of Dec. 30, when the limousine picked up six people including Bieber, 19, outside a Toronto nightclub, police said in a statement. Bieber allegedly struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times during an altercation on the way to a hotel, police said. The driver got out and called police, but Bieber left before they arrived, according to the statement.
A Canadian lawyer for the pop star issued a statement that said Bieber is innocent.
“As the matter is now before the court, it would be inappropriate to address the specifics of either the allegation or of the defence at this time,” it said.
Bieber’s legal team expects the matter will be treated as a summary offence, the equivalent of a misdemeanor in the United States.
The pop star is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on March 10.
Bieber was charged after appearing at a Toronto police station on Wednesday evening. He arrived in a black SUV and was met by a crowd of journalists and screaming fans, who braved temperatures of minus 10 Degree Celsius.
Wearing a baseball cap on backwards and hooded black coat, Bieber was mobbed by photographers and fans pushing for a closer look as bodyguards and police officers cleared a path for him to enter the station.
Bieber has been in trouble with authorities in the United States this month. He was charged with driving under the influence in Miami after police say he was caught drag racing a rented Lamborghini. (Reuters)
Police said Bieber told them he had taken prescription medicine, smoked marijuana and consumed alcohol.
According to court records, he pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to those charges. If convicted, Bieber could face up to six months in prison, although experts say he is likely to receive a lighter sentence because it would be his first offence. (Reuters)
