Nick Kyrgios pleads guilty of charge of assault against ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari
Nick Kyrgios has had an assault charge dismissed by a magistrate after he pleaded guilty to shoving over his ex-girlfriend in 2021.
The tennis star fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday where a bid to have the assault charge thrown out on mental health grounds was rejected.
But magistrate Beth Campbell threw out the charge, accepting the seriousness of the matter was ‘low-level’ and indicating Kyrgios was not a risk of reoffending.
Kyrgios leaves the ACT Magistrates Court in Canberra with partner Costeen Hatzi after the charge of common assault was dismissed by magistrate Beth Campbell
Nick Kyrgios with Chiara Passari in the Bahamas in 2021 when they were in a relationship together
Kyrgios issued a statement on Instagram following the hearing:
‘I respect today’s ruling and I’m grateful to the court for dismissing the charges without conviction,’ the statement read.
‘I was not in a good place when this happened and I reacted to a difficult situation in a way I deeply regret.
‘I know it wasn’t OK and I’m sincerely sorry for the hurt I caused.
‘Mental health is tough. Life can seem overwhelming. But I’ve found that getting help and working on myself has allowed me to feel better and to be better.’
Kyrigos finished the statement with a message to his supporters.
‘I can never thank Costeen, my family and friends enough for supporting me through this process,’ he said.
‘I now plan to focus on recovering from injury and moving forward in the best way possible.’
Kyrgios arrives at ACT Magistrates Court. He is facing one charge of common assault against his ex girlfriend Chiara Passari
Kyrgios arrived with his legal representation, partner Costeen Hatzi, mother Norlaila Kyrgios and brother Christos
The 27-year-old World no. 20 was charged with common assault after he pushed Ms Passari to the ground during an argument when they went out for dinner in the Canberra suburb of Kingston in December 2021.
The court heard Ms Passari was standing in the door of an Uber preventing Kyrgios from leaving when he shoved her over.
He stood over her and remarked ‘seriously’ while she lay on the ground.
Ms Passari reported suffering shoulder pain along with grazing on her knee.
Kyrgios had told Ms Passari to ‘leave me the f*** alone’ and to ‘just f***ing p**s off’ while she asked him to get out of the car and to calm down.
Ms Passari didn’t report the incident until 10 months later, when the couple split after getting back together following the incident.
An unhappy Kyrgios announces his withdrawal from the 2023 Australian Open after requiring knee surgery
Kyrgios arrived on crutches at ACT Magistrates Court today after recent knee surgery and was flanked by family including his mother Norlaila, brother Christos and his current partner Costeen Hatzi.
ACT Policing previously said the charge was in relation to an incident in January 2021, which was reported to ACT police in December last year.
Canberra solicitor Michael Kukulies-Smith represented Kyrgios.
The 27-year-old was initially scheduled to appear in 2022 but was successful in seeking an adjournment to play in the US Open.
A hearing was held on August 23 but Kyrgios was not required to attend as long as his legal representation appeared.
Chiara Passari was seen looking at her phone as she walked her dog in Brisbane ahead of her ex boyfriend, Nick Kyrgios, court appearance in Canberra. Kyrgios is facing assault charges
In October his lawyers appeared in the ACT Magistrates court and asked for an adjournment so forensic mental health reports could be prepared as they sought to have the matter dismissed on mental health grounds.
Magistrates have the power to dismiss a charge if they believe the accused is mentally impaired and that treating the matter in that manner would benefit both the offender and the community.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston adjourned the case until today.
Kyrgios missed the recent Australian Open through injury and is hoping to return to court for the Indian Wells Masters in California in March.
Just 30 minutes before his scheduled appearance, Kyrgios was relaxed enough to post a meme on Twitter comparing NBA players Jaren Jackson Jr and Anthony Davis.
Kyrgios, a self-confessed NBA fan, posted the meme with the caption ‘LOL’.
Kyrgios has spoken publicly about his mental health struggles throughout his career.
He described his performance at the 2019 Australian Open as ‘one of my darkest periods’ despite it being a time when ‘most would assume I was doing ok mentally or enjoying my life’.
‘I was lonely, depressed, negative, abusing alcohol, drugs, pushed away family and friends,’ he said.
Kyrgios appearing dejected at the Japan Open in October 2022, where he openly told reporters that he was dealing with mental health issues
‘I felt as if I couldn’t talk or trust anyone. This was a result of not opening up and refusing to lean on my loved ones and simply just push myself little by little to be positive.’
His lawyers previously told the court Kyrgios had experienced mental health issues which been disclosed in his medical records over the past seven years.
Kyrgios spoke about his court case while he was playing in the Japan Open in October, telling reporters in Tokyo he had been dealing with it ‘for months’ and was taking it ‘day by day’.
‘There’s only so much I can control and I’m taking all the steps and dealing with that off the court,’ Kyrgios said at the time.
