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    Closing arguments in trial of German footballer Boateng in Munich

    By DPA,

    2024-07-12

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46iYvZ_0uOqzuSE00

    In the trial of German football player Jérôme Boateng, prosecutors urged the court to impose a fine of €1.12 million ($1.22 million) over allegations of violence against his ex-girlfriend.

    At the centre of the proceedings are allegations of violence made by Boateng's ex-girlfriend during a holiday together in the Caribbean in 2018.

    The trial is being held after the Bavarian Supreme State Court overturned previous verdicts against Boateng in the case, citing legal issues.

    Boateng, a former star on the German national team and long-time defender at Bayern Munich, recently transferred from the Italian club US Salernitana to Linzer ASK in Austria.

    "For me, the facts of the case are clear," said the public prosecutor in her closing statement in a court in Munich on Friday.

    A lawyer representing Boateng's ex-girlfriend called the case "a real David versus Goliath fight" and said that Boateng had displayed "no sense of wrongdoing."

    Boateng's defence urged the court to drop the case, or at most impose a "moderate fine" for negligent bodily harm.

    Boateng denied his ex-girlfriend's allegations at the beginning of the new proceedings. He stated that he had only defended himself against an attack by his former partner during the holiday and had pushed her away.

    Boateng's lawyer on Friday spoke of a "fabricated narrative of the wife-beater" and a "scuffle that was foreseeable for both sides."

    He said the incident had left both Boateng and his ex-girlfriend injured - Boateng had pushed his ex-girlfriend away and she had injured him on the lip.

    The ex-girlfriend alleged that Boateng threw a lantern and a cooler bag at her during the Caribbean holiday, and that he later spat at her, pulled her hair, hit her in the face with both hands and bit her on the head.

    She said she cut herself on the shards of glass from the broken lantern and suffered bruising and abrasions, and that he had threatened her that he would ensure that their children were sent to a home if she reported him for the incident.

    The prosecutor emphasized that she had "no doubt" about the credibility of the ex-girlfriend's statements, and dismissed Boateng's accounts as an effort to defend himself.

    Boateng asked for forgiveness for the shoving, but in his detailed statement in court, he spoke of a "nightmare" and denied the allegations of violence.

    Before the closing arguments, a mutual acquaintance of Boateng and his ex-girlfriend testified and described their relationship as emotionally charged and extremely difficult.

    He also described an incident in which the ex-girlfriend allegedly kicked Boateng in the face and later fell herself.

    The two had "a miserable relationship", the man said. "Neither of them were suitable for a relationship."

    That was a particular shame because of the couple's twin daughters, he said.

    "I think it's a shame that it has come to this," he said, to which Judge Susanne Hemmerich added "Me too." The verdict is now due to be handed down on Friday next week.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1eDHBp_0uOqzuSE00

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