why the judge agrees with Clara Chía for the harassment of the pro-Shakira paparazzi

“It’s clearly not what it sounds like. It has the name of a good person. It’s clearly just like you.” While the world hummed in 2023 the verses that Shakira wrote against his ex, Gerard Piquéfor having been unfaithful, Clara Chia -precisely, the protagonist of the chorus- watched from the shadows as the darts were hitting her one by one. The fact that she began dating the former soccer player made her the most wanted woman on the planet, and in this incessant persecution a person on whom the consequences now fall played an important role: Jordi Martín. The paparazzi was sentenced this week to a year in prison and a fine of 13,500 euros after the young woman filed a lawsuit against him for harassment and injuries. We review the details of the sentence.

Despite the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to acquit the accused, the Criminal Court Number 14 of Barcelona has convicted the photographer, admirer and supporter of Shakira, by proving crimes such as “continued harassment”, from August 2022 to May 2023 , towards Chia. The document establishes that the photojournalist’s surveillance of Piqué’s girlfriend (which included daily presence at her home and workplace or vehicle and foot chases) affected the young woman’s life both personally and psychologically. to the point that the plaintiff had to change residence, request teleworking and close all her social networks.

The magistrate considers that Martin’s actions were excessively invasive, disrupting his daily life and psychological well-being and causing him an adaptive disorder for which he had to receive medical treatment. It should be remembered that The paparazzi was the one who claimed, two years ago, that the former Barça player had cheated on the mother of his children with an anonymous young woman, 12 years younger than him. Then came everything else.

Weddings, gyms and trunks: a constant chase

“He carried out a permanent chase, invading private spaces, a friend’s wedding, the company parking lot.following her and her partner around Barcelona and even further if they decided to spend the weekend away. These follow-ups and stalkings were not from a distance, but just the opposite, making himself noticed, recording next to the person, seeking full physical contact, in a provocative and aggressive attitude, waiting for a reaction from her or her partner, which would make the image captured by him more marketable,” the sentence reads.

“She changed her behavior habits, she stopped going out with her friends, she stopped going to the gym, she needed, because of the anxiety and fear she suffers, to be accompanied at all times, by her partner or other people, to work, and to other activities, even hiding in friends’ trunks to avoid the accused. Her relationship with her family deteriorated due to these limitations, and she was no longer able to walk alone in the street as she had normally done until then,” the document states.

Serious psychological consequences

In this regard, it should be noted that the young woman has been seen, on most occasions, walking hand in hand with her partner, with her face covered by sunglasses and head down. She has never wanted to give statements. And the reality, as was stated this past July 26 in court, is that in private she was dealing with severe discomfort. This is stated in the injuries section, for which Justice relies on several psychological reports. In one of them (June 2023) a “anxious depressive symptoms, and that this has affected their functional capacity, going outside, insecurity, work impairment, anxiety, depression, sadness, apathy, with high levels of distress, and even self-harming thoughts”.

A story without contradictions: why the Court agrees with him

Since stepping into court with Piqué on July 17, Chía has presented a convincing story for these and other reasons. As always stated in the document, “She has been confident in answering the questions from the parties, she has been sufficiently specific in her presentationadding small details that reveal to us that it was a real situation, he had sufficient clarity of exposition, his body language was fully convincing, he had seriousness of exposition and descriptive expressiveness, he did not incur in relevant and essential contradictions, there were no gaps, and it was not a fragmented statement, he gave in short a complete and real account.”

Thus, if we break down the sentencewhat remains is a sentence for Martín to one year in prison, six months for each crime. In addition, it imposes a restraining order on him to a minimum distance of 1,000 meters for a period of one year and six months, as well as the payment of a fine of 10,000 euros for moral damages. Likewise, it forces him to pay 3,130 euros more to cover the medical expenses required by the young Catalan woman. The sentence, likewise, falls short of the request of the private prosecution, which requested five years in prison and 70,000 euros.

Arrest near Kosmos

Last January, Martín was arrested in a bar near the Kosmos offices, where the businessman and Chía work.She, very upset upon seeing him, had called the police and he explained to the officers that he had come after receiving a tip-off about an alleged break-up between them. It should be noted that the paparazzi can appeal to the Provincial Court, which must be filed within ten days of being notified. Martín has already announced that he will seek to prove his truth. At the moment, time is running against him.