Criminal charges filed against a photographer who pursued teen pop star Justin Bieber at high speeds on a Los Angeles freeway in July were thrown out on Wednesday, striking a blow to California's crackdown on overly aggressive paparazzi.
在今年的7月,一名狗仔记者被指控在洛杉矶的高速公路上追赶青年流行歌手贾斯汀·比伯,比伯将其告上法庭,周三法院驳回了他的控告。此事对于加利福尼亚州镇压激进派狗仔队的活动造成了不小的压力。
Celebrity photographer Paul Raef was the first person to be prosecuted under the state's 2010 law that criminalizes dangerous driving when taking photos commercially.
2010年,加州颁布了从事商业摄影时危险驾车一律视为违法行为的这一规定,名人摄影师Paul Raef成为了此项法律制定以来第一个被起诉的对象。
Raef was charged in July with two counts of violating the law stemming from a July 6 incident on a freeway in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.
Reaf所面临的两项指控均来自于7月6日在洛杉矶高速圣费尔南多谷段发生的超速事件。
Dismissing the charges, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Robinson called the state's anti-paparazzi law "problematic" and "overly inclusive."
然而,洛杉矶高等法院法官Thomas Robinson称该州的反狗仔队法中存在“不确定的”和“过度兼容性”的内容,从而驳回了对Reaf的指控。
The law "sweeps very widely and would increase penalties for reckless driving" in unintended cases, Robinson said.
Robinson说:“这次制定的法律涵盖范围很广,会对交通事故中的鲁莽驾驶行为进行相应的处罚。”
Robinson faulted the law's vague definition of commercial photography, saying it could also apply to a photographer speeding to reach an arranged photo shoot with Bieber.
Robinson还指责该法律,称其对商业摄影的定义很模糊,它似乎也适用于是摄影师与Bieber安排好在超速的情况下拍摄照片这一说法。
Raef could have faced a year in prison and $3,500 in fines if convicted. His attorney, Brad Kaiserman, said the law is "about protecting celebrities."
一旦罪名成立,Raef可能将会面临一年的监禁和3500美元的罚款。他的律师Brad Kaiserman称法律简直就是在保护名人。
Bieber, who was pulled over by police for driving 80 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone, told officers at the time that he was being hounded by paparazzi, and police said they noticed Raef's car following the "Boyfriend" singer.
早前,贾斯汀·比伯驾车在最高时速为65英里的公路上开到了时速80英里,随后被警察拦下。他告诉警察,自己是因为被狗仔队骚扰被迫超速的。警方称当时也注意到Raef的车确实跟在比伯之后。