Professional soccer player Jerome Boateng escaped with a light sentence in an assault trial against his ex-girlfriend on Friday.
The Munich I Regional Court cautioned former national player Jerome Boateng for intentionally causing bodily harm. It imposed a fine of 5,000 euros each day, subject to 40 daily charges. As with the suspended prison sentence, Boateng will only have to pay this €200,000 if he commits another offence.
As Chief Justice Susanne Hemmerich put it, the court concluded there was “nothing to the charge of aggravated wife-beater.” The public prosecutor’s office sought a fine of 1.12 million euros, while the defense argued for a maximum “moderate fine” or suspension of proceedings instead of a fine for negligently causing bodily harm.
Boateng has denied the allegations
Boateng has denied assaulting his ex-partner and throwing a lamp and cooler bag at her while on holiday in 2018. He spoke of a “nightmare” on the first day of the trial, his lawyer said in his plea, of “an inventive narrative of a wife beater”, “anticipated fighting on both sides” and mutual physical harm. Padeng pushed his ex-girlfriend and injured her lip.
A lawyer for Boateng’s ex-girlfriend accused him of violence: “It’s a real David and Goliath fight” with “no awareness of injustice.”
Long process
Proceedings against the long-term FC Bayern Munich defender, who moved to Los Angeles from Italian club US Salernitana, have been dragging on for a long time. The Munich District Court has already fined Boateng in 2021: 60 daily fines of 30,000 euros each, for a total of 1.8 million euros.
In October 2022, the Munich I Regional Court fined Boateng 120 daily rates of 10,000 euros for the second occasion for bodily harm and insult – a total of 1.2 million euros. But the Bavarian Supreme Regional Court overturned the verdict due to, among other things, persistent legal errors – which is why the case was reopened at the Munich I Regional Court. (dpa)
