The chainsaw trial against Jens Lehmann is probably entering a new round: A week after the verdict against the former national soccer goalkeeper, the public prosecutor’s office filed an appeal against it. The spokeswoman for the Munich II public prosecutor’s office, Andrea Grape, told the German Press Agency on Friday.
Lehmann was sentenced by the Starnberg district court to a fine of 210 daily rates of 2,000 euros each for damage to property, insulting police officers and attempted fraud. In total he should pay 420,000 euros.
In the trial, which centered on a bizarre neighborhood dispute and the allegation that Lehmann had used a chainsaw to cut a roof beam in his neighbor’s garage, the public prosecutor’s office had demanded a suspended prison sentence of ten months – and a fine of 216,000 euros. “With a chainsaw in their hands, heroes become legends,” said public prosecutor Stefan Kreutzer – or they end up in court.
Lehmann had portrayed himself “consistently as a victim of the justice system,” said judge Tanja Walter. The 54-year-old is “not a victim, he is a perpetrator” and presented “outrageous stories” in his defense in court. However, she decided not to impose a prison sentence and only imposed a fine.
The deadline for filing an appeal was midnight on Friday. When asked, Lehmann’s lawyer Christoph Rückel did not initially say whether he also wanted to appeal the verdict.
In his plea, he had demanded acquittal on charges of damage to property and attempted fraud – and a fine of 50 daily rates of less than 500 euros each for insulting police officers.
Once a party files an appeal, a judgment does not become final. The case must then be heard again in the next instance at the regional court.
