Kidman-Bugging Paparazzo Off the Hook

Prosecutors drop charges against photographer accused of planting listening device outside actress' Sydney home in January 2005

By Sarah Hall Jun 28, 2007 7:47 PMTags

A paparazzo accused of bugging Nicole Kidman will no longer be bothered with any pesky legal problems.

Australian prosecutors have dropped charges against photographer Jamie Fawcett, who was allegedly spotting planting a listening device outside the actress' harborside Sydney home in January 2005.

Fawcett was charged with possessing the device for unlawful purposes and for using it to listen in on conversations that were not meant for his ears.

Prosecutors gave no reason for their decision to withdraw the charges.

Outside the courthouse Thursday, Fawcett told reporters he was relieved that the matter was closed, but said that he felt he should never have been charged at all.

"It was a very narrow investigation that once again targeted the photographers at a scene and I felt that was perhaps unfair,'' he said.

However, he made it clear he had no beef with Kidman regarding the situation.

"In fact, I don't have any opinion whatsoever about Miss Kidman, other than to wish her all the best,'' he said. "The situation is that I am often asked about the feud between Miss Kidman and myself. There is none, there never has been."

For her part, Kidman had no comment on the situation.

"It has nothing to do with Nicole," the actress' Australian rep, Wendy Day, told the AP. "That was something to do between the DPP and Jamie Fawcett."

After the bugging device was discovered outside her home in 2005, Kidman obtained a temporary restraining order against Fawcett and another photographer, complaining that they were going too far in their attempts to snap her picture and were making her feel like a prisoner in her own home.

Fawcett and the other photog, Ben MacDonald, were not pleased about being restrained, and complained to a judge that the keep-away order was hindering their ability to make a living.

The parties ultimately reached an out-of-court settlement, with the shutterbugs reportedly agreeing not to photograph the stately star within 550 feet of her residence.

Kidman has been logging plenty of time in her native Australia over the last few months while filming the aptly named Baz Lurhmann epic Australia opposite Hugh Jackman.

Keith Urban recently joined his Oscar-winning wife Down Under to celebrate both her 40th birthday on June 20 and their first anniversary on June 25.

Meanwhile, perhaps in a bid to prove that she's still a kid at heart, Kidman has partnered with Nintendo to promote a new mind-boosting game called More Brain Training from Dr. Kawashima.

The game measures players' speed and accuracy in taking aptitude tests—and, according to Kidman, is "a great way to keep my mind feeling young."