A British artist has appeared in court charged with assaulting his older brother.
Relations between the two had deteriorated in recent years, and when the two siblings do speak it usually does not end well, the accused brother told Monaco Criminal Court.
On the day in question, March 10 this year, the younger brother became angry when he discovered the true state of health of his father, who was hospitalised. Having accused his brother of lying, he told him to step outside and landed a blow to his face, local French-language daily Monaco Matin reported.
The victim, who was not in court, did not respond to his brother’s blows, the court heard.
The prosecuting lawyer said that despite numerous attestations to the good character of the accused it was not acceptable to behave in such a way, as might happen elsewhere. Three months in prison, suspended, was the right punishment.
Defence lawyer Me Maeva Zampori painted a different picture and enlisted jet lag as a mitigating factor, saying that her client had just returned from a foreign trip and was tired at the time of the incident. He became emotional and lost control when he found out that his brother had hidden the fact that his father was in hospital. She called for clemency from the court.
The tribunal was attentive to her plea and decided to impose a fine of 600 euros.
FILE PHOTO: Interior of the Monaco court building
