US ACTOR EMILE Hirsch has been sentenced to 15 days in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting film executive Daniele Bernfield at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
A plea deal agreed with the prosecutors meant Hirsch managed to avoid the maximum jail sentence of five years and if he completes the sentence, the charges will be dropped from his record.
The Into the Wild actor will also carry out 50 hours of community service as part of his sentence and he was fined $4,750.
Daniele Bernfeld, an executive for Insurge Pictures, said the plea did not go far enough, adding that the attack had caused her long-term damage.
BBC reports that Bernfield read out a statement court where she said she thought she “was going to die” when Hirsch was choking her.
She said the actor grabbed her from behind, put her in a chokehold, pulled her across the table and landed on top of her on the floor, putting his hands around her throat.
According to TMZ, police said at the time that,”Hirsch appeared intoxicated and asked [Bernfeld] why she looked ‘so tough’ and said she was a ‘rich kid’ who should not be at Sundance.”
Police arrived to Tao nightclub in Utah and charged Hirsh, who checked into rehab shortly after.
The court heard that the 30-year-old has been sober since the incident on 25 January and has shown remorse.
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