Jerome Boateng trial: German football star denies assault in court
German footballer Jerome Boateng has appeared in court in Munich over allegations he assaulted his ex-girlfriend in 2018.
The defender is accused of injuring the mother of his twin daughters, named as Sherin S, during a dispute while on holiday.
Prosecutors have accused the former Bayern Munich defender and 2014 World Cup winner of wilful bodily harm.
Mr Boateng, 33, has denied the allegations. If convicted, he could be fined or jailed for up to five years.
Wearing a dark blue suit, Mr Boateng was escorted by bodyguards as he arrived in court with his lawyer Kai Walden on Thursday morning.
Ahead of the trial prosecutors accused Mr Boateng of throwing a lamp and a small cooling box at his former partner during the alleged assault in the Caribbean in July 2018.
Mr Boateng allegedly insulted her, hit her and pulled her hair, prosecution spokeswoman Anne Leiding told reporters.
Another version of events that transpired
In court, Mr Boateng said he did not assault his ex-girlfriend and described a different version of events.
He said he and his ex-girlfriend had an argument after tensions escalated during a game of cards.
Mr Boateng said his former partner had become aggressive and insulting, injured his lip and hit him. When he tried to push her away from him, she fell, Mr Boateng told the court.
He said he threw a pillow against a table, and the lamp fell to the floor.
The court will hear testimony from four witnesses, German TV channel RTL reported. A verdict could be delivered on Thursday, the only scheduled day of proceedings.
The hearing was due to take place in December but was postponed because a witness was unable to appear.
A prominent name in the world of football and on social media, Boateng has had a decorated career for club and country.
He won 22 trophies at Bayern, including the Champions League twice and the Bundesliga nine times and moved to French Ligue 1 team Lyon on a free transfer in the summer after his contract at Bayern expired.
In February Mr Boateng’s ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old model Kasia Lenhardt, was found dead after taking her own life at a flat in Berlin.
Berlin police found her body in February while Mr Boateng was away playing for Bayern at the Club World Cup in Qatar. Reports in Germany said he had recently ended their relationship.
BBC/Emmanuel Ukoh
