Marilyn Manson pleads in speckling case and is convicted

LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — Marilyn Manson was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and fined Monday after pleading no contest to blowing his nose at a videographer during a 2019 concert in New Hampshire .

The shock rocker, 54, wanted to appear by video for his hearing on the misdemeanor charge, but the judge demanded he be in the courtroom in Laconia, about 30 miles north of Concord, the state capital.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter with the videographer at the Bank of New Hampshire clubhouse in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019.

Manson pleaded no contest to the charge of blowing his nose as part of a fully negotiated plea deal with prosecutors. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charge, that he spit on the videographer. A no contest plea means Manson does not contest the charge or admit guilt.

Manson was fined just over $1,400 as part of the deal, with $200 suspended. He must remain at large and notify local police of any performances in New Hampshire for two years.

The judge agreed to allow Manson to complete his community service in California. He mentioned to reporters that he might choose to work with people in recovery. Manson must provide proof of his community service by February 4.

According to a police affidavit, Manson approached videographer Susan Fountain in the stage area of ​​the venue, brought her face closer to his camera and spat a “big lougee” at her. She was hit on both hands with saliva. He approached her again later, kneeling and covering one nostril before blowing on her arms and hands with the other.

Fountain said in a statement that it was “the most disgusting thing a human being could have done.”

Manson “blows a significant amount of mucus at Fountain,” a police sergeant who reviewed video footage of the concert said in the affidavit. After that, the camera view switches to another and you can see Manson “pointing at Fountain and laughing as she gets off and walks away,” the affidavit states.

On Monday, Manson entered the courthouse’s main entrance, passing through security. He wore a head-to-toe black suit and dark sunglasses. Security personnel called him “Mr. Warner,” and he identified himself in court as “Brian Warner,” using a soft voice.

Furthermore, he only answered “yes” to the judge’s questions asking him if he understood the procedure, and made no statement. Prosecutor Andrew Livernois said it was his first offense and he had no criminal record.

Fountain was not present in court.

Manson initially pleaded not guilty to both charges in 2021. He was scheduled to stand trial in August. His attorney had said the type of filming Fountain did typically exposed videographers to “accidental contact” with bodily fluids.

“The defendant’s performances over the past twenty years are well known to include shocking and evocative antics similar to those that occurred here,” attorney Kent Barker wrote. “The alleged victim consented to exposure to potential contact with sweat, saliva and phlegm at close range.”

Barker had also said Manson planned to argue that any contact related to spitting or sneezing was unintentional.

Had Manson gone to trial on these charges, each could have received a prison sentence of less than a year and a $2,000 fine if convicted.

Manson became a music star in the mid-1990s, known as much for sparking public controversy as for hit songs like “The Beautiful People” and hit albums like 1996’s “Antichrist Superstar” and “Mechanical Animals.” » from 1998.

In May, a California judge threw out key sections of Manson’s lawsuit against his former fiancée, “Westworld” actor Evan Rachel Wood, saying she fabricated public allegations that he assaulted her sexually and physically during their relationship and encouraged other women to do the same. He is appealing the decision.

Manson’s suit, filed last year, alleges that Wood and another woman named as a defendant, Illma Gore, defamed Manson, intentionally caused him emotional distress and derailed his career in music, television and film. movie theater.

Several women have sued Manson in recent years over sexual and other abuse allegations. Most were dismissed or settled, including a suit filed by “Game of Thrones” actor Esme Bianco.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they were sexually abused unless they come forward publicly.