A Namibian judge dismissed charges against a South African photographer arrested for trespassing while trying to snap a shot of Jolie and Pitt
- May 23, 2006
AceShowbiz -
A South African photographer named John Liebenberg was taken into custody on Friday afternoon May 19th, 2006 for trespassing while on a quest to take the picture of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Liebenberg was taken into custody after driving into the back of a police barracks in search of a vantage point to take a photograph of a nearby private hospital in the port town of Walvis bay where he heard Jolie had been rushed to give birth.
Put in a communal jail cell for three days, Liebenberg appeared in court Monday May 22nd, 2006 to face the charges. While prosecutors recommended that he serve one year in prison or pay the equivalent of a $152 fine, Liebenberg's lawyers had suggested a fine.
However, Walvis Bay magistrate Sarel Jacobs let Liebenberg off with just a warning, saying "It might be that you are a foreigner and that you were arrested for trespassing [but] why was it necessary to keep you in custody for the whole weekend?" Jacobs asked during sentencing. I don't understand that, and I think it was unnecessary."
