Female Photographer caught tripping refugees sentenced to probation

Hungarian photographer Petra Laszlo was sentenced to three years' probation by a Hungarian court after she was caught on video tripping fleeing migrants during a standoff at the Serbian-Hungarian border. Laszlo told the judge she was frightened and acting out of self-defense. Screen shot courtesy CNN

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The Hungarian photographer who sparked international outrage after she was filmed tripping migrants as they broke through a police blockade has been sentenced to three years' probation by a Hungarian judge.

Petra Laszlo, who was working for the far-right Hungarian Internet news outlet N1-TV, was convicted of disorderly conduct by a Hungarian court. The incident stemmed from footage that went viral online of Laszlo extending her leg and tripping multiple Middle Eastern refugees as she and other media members documented a standoff between the individuals and police near the Hungarian-Serbian border. The footage clearly showed Laszlo kicking a child and tripping a man to the ground as he was running with a young child in his arms.

Laszlo expressed remorse in court, but also said she reacted out of fear for her safety during the chaotic scene, as hundreds of refugees broke free of police and began rushing past her.

"It was all over within two seconds," Laszlo said during the sentencing hearing. "Everybody was shouting. It was very frightening."

Judge Illes Nanasi rejected her claim of self-defense, saying the video evidence, which was examined frame-by-frame, showed she was not in any danger when she tripped the fleeing refugees. Nanasi said Laszlo's behavior "ran counter to societal norms."

Both the prosecution and defense pledged to appeal the sentence, the International Business Times reported.

*UPI