Judgment against Jérome Boateng: Court warns exem-World champion
Four times already, a court in Munich has dealt with violent accusations against Jerome Boateng. Now there is a new verdict. The chamber cautions the former football World Cup winner and falls far short of the prosecutor's demand.
First, it was 1.8 million euros, then 1.2 million - now it's just a warning: In the new proceedings against the former football national player Jerome Boateng, the Munich I Regional Court has announced a significantly milder verdict. Although the World Cup winner of 2014 was found guilty of coercive bodily harm, he was only warned. A fine of 200,000 euros, which he must pay if he violates his probation conditions, was suspended.
Similar to a suspended sentence, Boateng must pay this amount only if he violates the conditions. These include paying 50,000 euros each to two charitable organizations that work for children. "The real victims in this process, in my opinion, are the children," says presiding judge Susanne Hemmerich. "The poor children." The probation period was set at one year. If Boateng fulfills the conditions, the fine will be waived.
"I am infinitely relieved that this long nightmare is finally over," says Boateng, according to his spokesperson. "This is especially important for my children. Now I want to focus on my family and football."
Court: Nothing remains of the accusation of "notorious woman beater"
The court came to the conclusion that "nothing remains of the accusation of the notorious woman beater," as formulated by Judge Hemmerich. He had behaved incorrectly once during a vacation six years ago. The whole thing is also to be seen in the context of a "toxic relationship" with Boateng's ex-girlfriend and mother of their 13-year-old twin daughters.
The accusations from the indictment, that Boateng had bitten his former partner in the head during a Caribbean vacation in 2018 and thrown a windlight and a cooler at her, are not confirmed by the court. "We do not have the bad woman beater here," says Hemmerich. "We have a person who lost control in a relationship once." Boateng had admitted to pushing his ex-girlfriend.
Court spokesman Laurent Lafleur explains after the verdict: "The chamber took into account the fact that there were mutual bodily harm incidents and not only the defendant attacked the injured party, but that the injured party also committed acts of violence against the defendant on the day in question, according to the chamber's findings."
Lengthy Proceedings
Boateng's defense attorney Leonard Walischewski speaks of a "very good, fair verdict". His 35-year-old client is relieved. "He is happy that he can finally rest." Boateng wants "to return to his normal life". The lawyer for Boateng's ex-girlfriend, Carolin Lütcke, was also satisfied with the court decision. "We were satisfied with the guilty verdict," she says. However, significantly higher penalties were in the offing: The prosecution had demanded a fine of 1.12 million euros.
The proceedings against the long-term defender of FC Bayern Munchen, who recently transferred from Italian club US Salernitana to Linzer ASK in Austria, are drawing out. The Munich Magistrates Court had already imposed a fine on Boateng in the year 2021: 60 penalty payments of 30,000 Euro each, totaling 1.8 million Euro.
The Munich Regional Court II then sentenced Boateng in October 2022 in the second instance for bodily harm and defamation to a fine of 120 penalty payments of 10,000 Euro - a total of 1.2 million Euro. However, the Bavarian Higher Regional Court quashed the judgment due to several legal errors - therefore, the case was rolled back before the Munich Regional Court II.
"That's it then. Luckily - after six years", says Judge Hemmerich after the judgment. However, it remains to be seen in a week whether this is indeed the case. In fact, the judgment is not legally binding yet. The Prosecution, Plaintiff, and Defense can file another revision. No one wanted to exclude this at first.
- Despite the prosecutor's demand for a hefty fine, the Munich I Regional Court only issued a warning to Jerome Boateng in the latest proceedings, citing his payment to children's charities and a one-year probation period as conditions.
- The court in Munich, while finding Jerome Boateng guilty of coercive bodily harm, dismissed the severe accusations against him, such as biting and throwing objects, made during his vacation in the Caribbean.
- The long-term defender of FC Bayern Munich, Jerome Boateng, has faced numerous legal proceedings related to violent accusations, with previous court decisions resulting in significant fines, including a 1.8 million euro fine in 2021.
