Wissam Ben Yedder, a former French international soccer player, has been handed a two-year suspended jail sentence after being convicted of sexual assault while intoxicated.
The incident led to Ben Yedder being found guilty on multiple charges, including drunk driving and refusal to comply.
As part of his sentence, he’s required to pay nearly $7,000 in damages and legal costs, plus an additional $5,300 fine for refusing to comply, Mail Online reports.
Ben Yedder, 34, was sentenced by Nice’s criminal court and is also obliged to provide the victim with care and compensation. His driving license has been suspended for six months, and his father’s vehicle, which was involved in the incident, has been returned.
This isn’t Ben Yedder’s only legal issue. He’s currently under judicial supervision after paying bail of almost $1 million due to accusations of rape at a party in summer 2023. That case is ongoing, and his younger brother, Sabri Ben Yedder, has also been charged with rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault.
Additionally, Ben Yedder is set to go on trial in late December for psychological violence against his wife relating to their divorce, which began in May 2023.
Ben Yedder’s lawyer, Marie Roumiantseva, confirmed the two-year suspended prison sentence to the Associated Press. It’s worth noting that prosecutors initially sought a harsher sentence of two years and six months, with 18 months suspended.
He had also been accused of driving a young woman, born in 2001, to an underground car park, attempting to masturbate in front of her, and touching her thigh, as reported by RMC Sport.
His defence insisted that the allegation of touching the woman on the thigh is “not a serious fact”.
He was arrested in a “state of intoxication” between the night of Friday September 6 and the early hours of the Saturday morning.
Ben Yedder said during the trial that he was so drunk he has no recollection of any kind of sexual assault.
Since his arrest, Ben Yedder has reportedly attended Alcoholics Anonymous and admitted that he “hopes to cure himself of the situation”.
“I’m making an effort,” said the former French international. “To stop for good is the best solution to cure myself. I’ve always pointed out and I’ve always been there when justice called on me”
Ben Yedder was not present at Nice Criminal Court for his sentencing.
