Marilyn Manson has been sentenced to 20 hours of community service for blowing his nose and spitting at a camerawoman during a concert in 2019.
The vocalist - whose real name is Brian Warner - stood in a New Hampshire court on September 18 where he pleaded no contest to the misdemeanour. In other words, the singer did not contest the charge, but did not admit guilt either.
According to a police report, Manson spat on photographer Susan Fountain on August 19, 2019 at his concert at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. The show was part of his co-headline Hell Never Dies tour with Rob Zombie.
As well as community service, which Manson will complete in California to aid "people in recovery", he will pay around $1,200 (£969) in fines, and must alert police to any concerts planned for New Hampshire over the next two years. He must also provide proof that his community service has been completed before February 4, 2024.
The incident allegedly took place as Fountain was filming the New Hampshire gig Following a review of the filmed footage by police, investigators noted that Manson could be seen moving his face close to the camera and spitting a "big lougee" at her.
Then, as the singer kneels over her, he places one hand over one nostril and fires a "significant amount of mucus" onto her, before he proceeds to "point and laugh at Fountain as she gets down and walks away".
A statement which was read out in court on behalf of the victim stated: "For me, I’m a professional person and I’ve been in this industry for 30 years.
"I’ve worked for a lot of companies, and in all the years I’ve worked with people, I’ve never been humiliated or treated like I was by this defendant. For him to spit on me and blow his nose on me was the most disgusting thing a human being has ever done.
“I understand this was not a big criminal charge to begin with, but I was hoping that the defendant would receive a sentence that would make him think twice before doing something like this again.”
In a previous statement, Manson’s lawyer Howard King noted: “It is no secret to anyone who has attended a Marilyn Manson concert that he likes to be provocative on stage, especially in front of a camera.
“This misdemeanor claim was pursued after we received a demand from a venue videographer for more than $35,000 after a small amount of spit came into contact with their arm. After we asked for evidence of any alleged damages, we never received a reply. This whole claim is ludicrous, but we remain committed to cooperating with authorities, as we have done throughout.”
Over the last few years, Manson has faced numerous allegations of sexual assault among other series crimes by multiple women, including Westworld actor Evan Rachel Wood, who claimed in 2022 that Manson was guilty of grooming, manipulation and “horrific abuse”. The vocalist has denied all accusations, and is currently facing two other lawsuits.
