SYDNEY, Australia — An Australian judge accused a celebrity photographer of hounding Nicole Kidman and ordered him to pay legal costs on Wednesday.
New South Wales state Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Simpson ruled that photographer Jamie Fawcett had tried to bug Kidman's Sydney home and that he was also involved in a reckless car chase in an attempt to photograph the actress.
"That Ms. Kidman was frightened by Mr. Fawcett's conduct cannot be doubted," Simpson said, reports AP. "The evidence amply demonstrates that Mr. Fawcett's conduct was `intrusive' and `threatening'."
Kidman had appeared in court to testify in the trial last November.
Fawcett had previously filed a defamation lawsuit against Fairfax Media, which publishes The Sun-Herald newspaper. He claimed that a January 2005 gossip article portrayed him as being Sydney's most disliked photographer who was determined to "wreak havoc" on Kidman's life, reports AP.
A jury ruled that Fawcett had been defamed by parts of the gossip column, but Fairfax appealed, which led to the most recent hearing.
Following the ruling, Fawcett told reporters he was considering an appeal of his own.
"It is a massive economic decision for me," the snapper said, adding he was "already hurting financially."
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