James Argent has been warned he will be put behind bars if he tries to contact his model girlfriend, ex Nicoline Artursson in the next two years after admitting a domestic violence offence at a Costa del Sol court.
The ex-Towie star, 37, pleaded guilty to ‘mistreating’ former Miss Sweden Nicoline, 32, after being arrested on May 5 and hauled before a judge.
He was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence and a restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching the Artursson for the next 24 months.
Argent was spared jail after striking a plea bargain deal with public prosecutors ahead of his May 5 trial at Fuengirola’s Court of Violence Against Women following his arrest hours earlier.
Speaking out for the first time since the news was announced, Argent told the MailOnline that he is still sober and ‘devastated’ by the incident.
‘I haven’t relapsed. I am still three years and four months clean and sober.
‘I am devastated by what’s happened,’ he said.
The Sun reported that he pushed his girlfriend of nine months down steps outside her apartment in nearby Cala de Mijas during a row.
A source told the publication: ‘James and Nicoline had a row that turned nasty and he pushed her over. He was arrested and taken to a station where he was put in the cells for a few hours.
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‘James complied with the police and the matter was resolved in the court on the same day.
‘Their relationship is over and they can no longer speak or contact one another.’
The outlet reported that she required hospital treatment for her injuries.
Police and court officials have not offered any detailed information about Argent’s reported physical assault, although the Spanish Civil Guard whose officers took Argent to court in custody has confirmed local police employed by Mijas Town Hall arrested him on May 5.
Andalucia’s High Court of Justice confirmed the suspended prison sentence and two-year restraining order as officials warned any violation of the strict conditions Argent agreed to abide by as part of his plea agreement would land him in jail.
The actor-turned-singer is understood to have taken the decision to admit his crime after being told he could face a more serious charge carrying a prison sentence of up to five years if he denied wrongdoing and forced a full trial which would have been held in open court and rescheduled for a later date.
Andalucia’s High Court of Justice said: ‘The matter was resolved in Fuengirola’s Court of Violence Against Women.
‘There was a plea agreement on May 5 and a trial the same day.
‘In trials of this kind it is the prosecutor who suggests a conviction after negotiating with the defence.
‘It implies that the defendant acknowledges the facts and admits the penalty.
‘The judgment is now final having been accepted.
‘It consists of a sentence of six months in prison for the commission of a crime of mistreatment in the ambit of gender violence. It also implies a prohibition on approaching and communicating with the victim for a period of two years.
‘The convicted person will not enter prison as he had no criminal record in Spain.
‘For this reason, the sentence is suspended but on condition that, over a period of two years he does not approach or communicate with the victim and has to carry out a re-socialisation course in the field of gender violence.
‘The suspension would be revoked if it fails to comply with the measures imposed.
‘The sentence will be sent to a criminal court that will be responsible for its execution and compliance with the measures implicit therein.’
Prison sentences of two years or less are normally suspended for first-time offenders in Spain.
It is not clear if Argent has been ordered to pay his victim any compensation.
Nicoline’s neighbours are said to have called police after hearing her screams. She reportedly suffered injuries and needed hospital treatment.
The incident happened days after the couple were pictured sunbathing together on a nearby beach amid reports Argent was planning to propose nine months after their casual meeting outside a Costa del Sol supermarket.
Sources told the tabloid Argent is ‘extremely sorry’ for what happened, adding: ‘He is remorseful about what happened but is insisting he never meant any harm. He’s extremely sorry for it.
‘James said he was honest when he spoke to the police and told them everything that had happened.’
Argent, who performed at former Towie star Elliott Wright’s restaurant Olivia’s La Cala around the same time, confirmed their relationship last September.
The pair told OK! magazine in their first interview together last November they were living together after Nicoline moved into her boyfriend’s home in Essex and were already looking ahead to starting a family together.
Argent, known as Arg, said at the time: ‘Nicoline is absolutely beautiful. She’s a combination of Julia Roberts and Claudia Schiffer.’
Reliving the moment they met for the first time as Argent walked to a gig at Olivia’s La Cala, he told OK! Magazine: “All of a sudden I see this woman coming towards me. I was like, ‘Wow, she’s beautiful.’
‘She was just in her gym clothes, wearing no make-up. She’d actually just fed a stray cat.
‘We both smiled and kind of giggled at each other. And Nicoline carried on walking. Then I thought, ‘What have I got to lose?’ So I turned around and said, “Hey”.
‘Someone as beautiful as Nicoline, sometimes these sort of people are used to guys trying to talk to them and they’re not interested. But she was so friendly and made me comfortable.’
Metro has contacted James Argent’s representatives for comment.
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