Musical artist Marilyn Manson, whose legal name is Brian Hugh Warner, arrives for an appearance in Belknap Superior Court, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, in Laconia, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Sporting an all-black ensemble in court, shock rocker Marilyn Manson, 54, was sentenced to 20 hours of community service on Monday for blowing his nose on a videographer during a concert in New Hampshire three years ago. A charge for spitting on the photographer was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
Manson appeared in person at the Belknap Superior Court in New Hampshire after a judge reportedly denied his request to appear remotely. He was mum with the press when asked if he would apologize to his victim, Susan Fountain, for his conduct, ABC Manchester affiliate WMUR reported.
It is not clear if he has been ordered to limit any contact with her.
Fountain was recording Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, from the pit at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in August 2019 when he walked up to her, leaned toward her camera and spit at her profusely mid-performance, according to court records.
Manson approached Fountain a second time while performing, but this time he covered one of his nostrils and blew what police officers described as a “significant amount of mucous” at her.
Both times, according to Belknap County Attorney Andrew Livernois, Manson left his bodily fluids on Fountain’s exposed arms and legs. She was forced to flee into a bathroom to clean herself off, according to Los Angeles NBC affiliate KNBC.
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Fountains said she was so distressed by what happened that she was unable to finish her assignment at the Pavilion that day.
As part of an agreement, Manson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of simple assault and the second count of simple assault was dropped. He will also pay a fine of $1,200 and he has six months to complete his community service. Though the incident happened in New Hampshire, Manson will be allowed to complete his mandated community service order in California where he resides.
While Fountain did not attend the sentencing on Monday, an advocate for Fountain read a victim impact statement to the court on her behalf, WMUR reported. It emphasized the videographer’s shock and disgust with the incident after spending 30 years in the trade.
“I’ve worked for a lot of companies, and in all the years, I have never been humiliated or treated like I was by this defendant. For him to spit and blow his nose on me was the most disgusting thing a human being has ever done,” the statement read. “I understand that this wasn’t a big charge to begin with but I was hoping that the defendant would receive a sentence that would deter him from doing something like this again.”
Manson continues to face legal hurdles elsewhere.
His appeal involving a sexual assault and defamation case with his former fiancée, actor Evan Rachael Wood, is still pending. A California judge ruled in May that Wood’s public remarks about Manson being an abuser as she advocated for awareness around sexual violence were categorized as protected speech under California’s anti-SLAPP statute.
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