A French prosecutor has requested a jail sentence of two years and six months, including 18 months suspended, against French soccer star Wissam Ben Yedder after he went on trial for sexually assaulting a woman last month.
The prosecutor said the firm prison term could be adaptable and Ben Yedder's lawyers are confident he will escape jail even if he is convicted, lawyer Marie Roumiantseva told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Ben Yedder remained free ahead of Tuesday's hearing in the southern city of Nice after he was accused of sexual assault while intoxicated.
“Although not a single day in prison against Ben Yedder has been asked for, the requisitions are very harsh for facts that are both legally questionable and not very serious,” Roumiantseva said.
The court will hand down its decision on Nov. 12.
The hearing took place after a woman filed a lawsuit against Ben Yedder for sexual assault last month.
The 34-year-old Ben Yedder, a prolific striker who has also played for the national team, was briefly detained then released after the incident in his car on the French Riviera. He was arrested at his home later that night after he first refused to stop his car.
After his arrest, Ben Yedder — who has since started alcohol detox and therapy — admitted he drove while under the influence. He said during the trial he was so drunk he has no recollection of any kind of sexual assault.
Ben Yedder's legal team hopes for an acquittal on the sexual offence, which it claims has not been established.
The plaintiff’s lawyer, Frank Michel, said during the trial that she was in a “state of shock” and asked for 25,000 euros ($27,225) in damages, L'Equipe newspaper reported.
The prosecution also asked for Ben Yedder's driving license to be suspended for six months.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault over another alleged incident in the south of France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
He scored 16 goals with three assists in the French league last season to help Monaco finish second behind Paris Saint-Germain. In five seasons with Monaco, he scored 118 goals in 201 appearances in all competitions to become the club’s second-highest scorer behind retired Argentine striker Delio Onnis (223).
Ben Yedder has 19 caps for France, the last of which came in June 2022.
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FILE - Monaco's Wissam Ben Yedder celebrates scoring his second goal during a French League One soccer match between Lyon and Monaco at the Groupama stadium in Decines, outside Lyon, France, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — Mourners laid flowers near the scene of the deadly Christmas market attack on Monday as investigators puzzled over the motive of the suspect and fears swirled that the rampage could deepen divisions in German society.
The Johanniskirche, a church a short walk from the scene of the attack, has become a central place of mourning since the suspect drove a car into the busy market on Friday evening, killing five people. A carpet of flowers now covers the broad sidewalk in front of the church.
Prosecutors said the number of injured has risen to as many as 235 as more people have reported to hospitals and doctors, but it's possible there was some double-counting.
Authorities have identified the suspect as a Saudi doctor who arrived in Germany in 2006 and had received permanent residency. They say he does not fit the usual profile of perpetrators of extremist attacks. The man described himself as an ex-Muslim who was highly critical of Islam and in many posts on social media expressed support for the far-right.
“The Magdeburg perpetrator had repeatedly attracted attention by threatening crimes. There were also warnings about him but, according to what is known so far, his political statements were so confused that none of the security authorities' patterns fitted him," Justice Minister Volker Wissing was quoted as telling the Funke newspaper group.
He said Germany may have to “draw consequences for our security architecture” and that a serious debate about that will be needed, “but it's still too early for that" as facts and questions remain open.
The country's vice chancellor voiced fears that the attack will fuel online misinformation ahead of a national election expected in late February. He urged people to “take time for the truth” and said: “Don't let yourselves be infected by hatred.”
“There is still a lot we don't know and a lot is unexplained, including the exact motive,” Robert Habeck said in a video posted Sunday. “All the same, I fear that the distrust that was immediately propagated on the net against Muslims, foreigners and people with a history of immigration will entrench itself deeper in society”
On Sunday night, police in the port city of Bremerhaven said they detained a man who threatened crimes at a Christmas market there in a TikTok video. German news agency dpa reported that he had said he would stab any people of Arabic appearance there on Christmas Day.
Mobile vehicle barriers can be seen behind the stalls at the Christmas market on Rotkreuzplatz, early Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Munich. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
Mobile vehicle barriers sit behind stalls at the Christmas market on Rotkreuzplatz, early Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Munich. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP)
People lay flowers and lit candles in front of the Johannis church close to the Christmas market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
People walk at the Christmas Market, where a car drove into a crowd on Friday evening, in Magdeburg, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Flowers, candles, wreaths and stuffed animals lie in front of St. John's Church, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Madgeburg, Germany, after a car drove into a Christmas market on Friday. (Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa via AP)
