Singer Shakin’ Stevens, whose real name is Michael Barrett, was fined today for striking a press photographer with a microphone at one of his concerts.
The singer, from Cardiff was found guilty of assault and criminal damage during the show at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
He was fined a total of £300 and ordered to pay the photographer, Hugo McNeice, £479 to compensate for damage to his camera lens.
Barrett left Ballymena Magistrates Court without making any comment, but his lawyer said he intended to appeal the conviction.
McNeice said he was glad the case had ended. All he ever wanted was compensation for the damaged camera, he said.
He had been taking photographs of the singer during the concert in December 2008 and claimed in court that Stevens (61), pushed the microphone stand into his camera, leaving him shocked and embarrassed.
Shakin' Stevens was one of the top selling UK male artists of the 1980s, with hits including Green Door, This Ole House and Merry Christmas Everyone.
At an earlier hearing last month, he denied assaulting McNeice and breaking his camera lens.
“I am frustrated really. Why am I sitting here today when you think that one man can cause all this mess costing thousands and thousands of pounds and he just thinks it is a big joke?
“He wanted his five minutes of fame and I suggest he came willy nilly to show off to his friends and started clicking.
“It is frustrating to cause all this, it is ridiculous. I am saddened by it.”
He added: “If there was independent witnesses or CCTV cameras I would not be sitting here, with respect.”
He was shown photos taken by McNeice in the moments before the alleged assault but said there was no evidence of him actually making contact using his “lightweight” microphone stand.
“I would not put anything past him,” he added.
“I believed the guy just walked in brazenly to take photographs and show off to his friends.”
He claimed McNeice had not reported the matter to police for five days and had not seen a doctor.
The singer said the photos were unflattering and admitted waving a finger at the cameraman and said he moved discretely to within feet of him to warn him off.
“The whole purpose was I saw that something was wrong and not quite right so I did it in a very discrete manner,” he added.
He said he was mid-song so could not have a conversation with the photographer. He denied being angry or aggressive.
“Of course he was surprised, I was surprised to see him, we were both surprised,” he added.
PA