Metzelder given suspended sentence for child pornography

By: The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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DÜSSELDORF, Germany - Former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder has been issued with a 10-month suspended sentence for distributing child pornography.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/04/2021 (1983 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DÜSSELDORF, Germany – Former Germany defender Christoph Metzelder has been issued with a 10-month suspended sentence for distributing child pornography.

The 40-year-old Metzelder admitted to the bulk of the public prosecutor’s charges as his trial began at Düsseldorf District Court on Thursday.

Metzelder had been accused of possessing child and youth pornography and of forwarding 29 files to three women. The court found the case proven on the first day as he admitted to 26 of those instances. He was also convicted on one charge of possession, news agency dpa reported.

Germany's former national soccer player Christoph Metzelder arrives at the court for the opening of his trial in Duesseldorf, Germany, Thursday, April 29, 2021. The former defender of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Schalke 04 stands trial on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Germany's former national soccer player Christoph Metzelder arrives at the court for the opening of his trial in Duesseldorf, Germany, Thursday, April 29, 2021. The former defender of Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Schalke 04 stands trial on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

The prosecutor told the court, for example, that Metzelder in August 2019 sent photos showing the sexual abuse of girls under 10 years old, dpa reported.

Metzelder enjoyed a successful playing career with Preußen Münster, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Schalke. He made 47 appearances for Germany, helping it to second place finishes at the 2002 World Cup and 2008 European Championship. After retirement, Metzelder worked briefly as a pundit for broadcaster ARD.

Metzelder stepped down as president of hometown club TuS Haltern in September 2019 when the allegations against him were made public. He initially denied the charges.

The sentence can be appealed.

The court had set aside follow-up dates of May 4 and 10 for the trial.

It took place amid strict hygiene measures against the coronavirus.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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