The public prosecutor is demanding a year and a half in prison for soccer world champion Jérôme Boateng. He should be sentenced for dangerous bodily harm, intentional bodily harm and insult, demanded public prosecutor Stefanie Eckert on Wednesday before the Munich I district court. This prison sentence could be suspended on probation, the probation period should be set at three years.
In addition, the public prosecutor’s office demanded a payment of 1.5 million euros, which should benefit, among other things, victim and women’s aid organizations. The co-plaintiff joined the claims and spoke of a “David-versus-Goliath fight” that her client had to wage against her famous ex-boyfriend.
The defense, on the other hand, demands acquittal of the charge of bodily harm. The 34-year-old is someone “who was actually convicted before he got up in the morning,” said his lawyer Peter Zuriel. “A prominent person cannot defend himself in the same way that a run-of-the-mill person would.”
The 34-year-old defender is accused of insulting, hitting and injuring his then partner, who is acting as a joint plaintiff in the proceedings, on a Caribbean vacation in 2018.
The incident was probably “just the tip of the iceberg,” said Eckert, speaking of a violent relationship between Boateng and his ex-partner.
criticism of the defense
Eckert also criticized the footballer’s defense. The prosecutor said his lawyers “threw dirt over the injured party” during the proceedings. From her point of view, pulling the mother of his children “through the mud like that” is “no longer permissible defensive behavior” and must be taken into account when assessing Boateng’s punishment.
The Munich District Court sentenced Boateng to a fine of 1.8 million euros last year. Because all those involved in the process appealed against this verdict, the appeal process started in October.
After the final statement by the prosecution, the accessory prosecutor and the defense still had their turn before the Munich I Regional Court could render a verdict. Before the pleadings, Boateng’s defense attorneys emphasized that their client’s financial situation had changed.
Advertising partners have terminated contracts with Boateng – for example for advertising glasses. That’s why he currently only has the income from Olympique Lyon, where he is under contract. That is a little more than 240,000 euros net per month, but that still includes maintenance costs for his three children. The lawyers calculated maintenance costs of 5,000 euros per month for Boateng’s eleven-year-old twin daughters alone – per child.
