Four days after the conviction of Christoph Metzelder, the verdict against the ex-national player is final. Both sides waived an appeal and the 40-year-old on his cell phone.
Düsseldorf (dpa) – The verdict against ex-soccer player Christoph Metzelder is final. The public prosecutor’s office withdrew their appeal and both sides had waived their right to appeal, the Düsseldorf district court announced on Monday.
The 40-year-old also refrained from returning his cell phone, which had been seized as evidence.
Metzelder had been sentenced to ten months probation. The 40-year-old had confessed to having owned child and youth pornographic files and forwarded them to three women. Metzelder’s lawyer Ulrich Sommer left it open on Thursday whether his client would accept the judgment.
The court had assessed a number of factors mitigating the penalty. The extensive reporting worked like an anticipated punishment. Metzelder is unlikely to be able to pursue his professional activity or take part in public life for the foreseeable future. He was also given positive credit for having completed therapy at an early stage. “For me he showed real remorse,” the judge had said.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210503-99-450339 / 2
