Abstract:

In the cases when the celebrity is a defendant, the negative image of a celebrity has an effect on public sentence prediction. This was established via survey on public prediction on defendants’ sentence before the trial concerning the case of joint offense including a celebrity with a negative image and a non-celebrity. The results showed (N = 192) that the defendant’s celebrity status had a negative effect on public sentence prediction. The sentence prediction for celebrity was longer than for non-celebrity defendant, with significant gap between the two. The sentence prediction for celebrity accessory was shorter than those for non-celebrity accessory, with no significant gap between the two. In conclusion, in the case of joint offense, if a celebrity with negative image is principal offender, his/her celebrity status will have significant negative effect on public sentence prediction. If celebrity is accessory, his/her celebrity status will have no significant effect on judgment.

Key words: celebrity defendant, celebrity status, celebrity effect