MUNICH (AP) — Germany defender Jérôme Boateng went on trial for a fourth time on allegations of assault against his former partner on Friday, but the proceeding was quickly halted after the judge appealed to both parties to reach an agreement.
German news agency dpa reported that judge Susanne Hemmerich appealed to Boateng’s defense and the public prosecutor to reach a settlement in order to protect the former couple’s two daughters from the public scrutiny surrounding the case.
The proceedings have been ongoing for the past six years, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic and partly because of judicial failures. This is the fourth time the same matter has been before the court.
Hemmerich said the two daughters, now 13, of Boateng and his former partner Sherin Senler have had to “read in the newspaper at regular intervals how their parents are fighting each other in court” and that she wants the that the matter “finally comes to an end, especially for the children,” dpa reported.
The charges against Boateng were first brought in 2019. Boateng denied hitting and injuring Senler in July 2018 when they were on vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
In September 2021, Boateng was found guilty of domestic violence against Senler and ordered to pay a fine of 1.8 million euros, the highest possible financial damages that could be imposed by the Munich District Court. In November 2022, he was convicted of assault and ordered to pay 1.2 million euros to Senler, but that decision was overturned at a regional court because of legal errors and the process had to be restarted.
Boateng also faces allegations of assault against another former girlfriend, Kasia Lenhardt, in 2019. The investigation was closed in 2020 after Lenhardt decided not to provide any more incriminating statements, but it was reopened following her death in February 2021 when authorities received new information from police. Lenhardt, a model, was found dead in a Berlin apartment. Police said they found no evidence of outside involvement.
Boateng’s attorney rejected the allegations in both of his client’s cases.
Boateng played 76 games for Germany. He also played for Manchester City and Bayern Munich. The 35-year-old joined Austrian team Linz in May.
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