Former Dior creative director John Galliano has been found guilty of racist and anti-Semitic behavior.

The British designer - who was facing charges of "casting public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity" by French authorities - was ordered by a Paris court yesterday to pay a total fine of 17,500 euros, but escaped prison. The maximum penalty in France for insulting someone on the basis of their origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity is six months in jail and a fine of 22,500 euros.

Galliano - who was not in court - was arrested in February of this year following an alteration with a couple outside a Paris cafe, in which he used racist and anti-Semitic language. A video was then released of him in a Paris bar last October, verbally abusing a woman and proclaiming his love for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

During the court hearing in June, Galliano blamed his behavior on his excessive drinking and use of prescription medications: "I would crash after every creative high, and the alcohol would help me to escape. My body was becoming used to the pills, so my intake increased to an amount that I actually can't remember how many I was taking."

He apologized for the "sadness" his behavior caused and has since sought treatment for his addictions. Following his arrest, Galliano was sacked from fashion house Dior and his eponymous label John Galliano.