Galliano admits addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs in court

Former Dior designer John Galliano has admitted he is addicted to alcohol and prescription drugs at his trial today where he is charged with hurling anti-Semitic slurs in a Paris cafe.

The allegations shocked the fashion world and cost him his job at the renowned French high-fashion house.

Galliano, dressed in black and wearing a pencil moustache with his long hair hanging down his back, emerged from months out of sight for the proceedings.

He is charged with “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity” and could face up to six months in prison and €22,500 in fines. The verdict is expected at a later date.

Galliano was escorted to a front-row seat in the wood-panelled, gilded courtroom at the Justice Palace, sitting next to an interpreter as he faced the three judges presiding over his fate.

Journalists, including fashion writers, packed the wooden benches.

A couple claim that Galliano made anti-Semitic comments to them in the cafe in February. Galliano was taken in by police for questioning, and a sobriety test showed he was drunk at the time. Another woman then came forward with similar claims about another incident in the same cafe last October.

Days after the February bar incident, a video was broadcast on the website of the The Sun showing an inebriated Galliano insulting a fellow cafe client, slurring “I love Hitler.”

His lawyer, Aurelien Hamelle said that the designer’s comments were “misplaced and hurtful” but attributed them to Galliano’s addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs.

Galliano issued a statement at the time saying: “Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offense.” He also said he was “seeking help” for personal failures, spending two months in rehab in the United States.

The lawyer said he will call witnesses at the cafe during both incidents who say they did not hear any insults by Galliano.

Any conviction could depend on whether the court determines that the insults were made publicly or not. French law prohibits public insults toward others because of their origins, race or religion.

The February cafe incident and the video reverberated throughout the fashion world because they emerged on the eve of Paris Fashion Week.

Dior fired Galliano after 14 years with the company and denounced his comments. After joining the company in 1996, Galliano made an indelible mark on the house, with theatrical, often outrageous, runway shows that were among the most-anticipated displays on the Paris fashion calendar.

The trial is being held on the opening day of another round of Paris fashion shows, the menswear spring-summer 2012 collection.