Former French handball player, world champion and current president of his country’s league, Bruno Martini, was sentenced this Wednesday to one year in prison with a suspended sentence for “child abuse” and “recording child pornography.”
The 1995 and 2001 world champion goalkeeper, now 52, admitted during the interrogation phase following his arrest on Monday that he had recorded child pornographic images of a minor who was 13 at the time of the events, thus avoiding a regular trial, during where he was sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years and a fine of 75,000 euros.
According to his lawyer Elie Dottelonde, Bruno Martini will also pay 2,500 euros and will be deprived of the right to perform any functions related to contact with minors for five years.
However, the lawyer assured that her client did not know that the minor was under 15 years old, and also said that the prosecutor’s office dropped the charges of sexual violence and did not place any obligation on Bruno Martini to undergo treatment.
In a statement, the French Handball League assured that a possible conviction of Martini would make it impossible for him to continue at the head of the organization.
The 2003 European club champion with Montpellier was the face of a group of investors who bought the Paris Handball in 2010, having been appointed general manager of the emblem, which was bought by Qatar Sports Authority sovereign fund, which already owned football. club Paris Saint-Germain.
The former goalkeeper, who was arrested on Monday, has been under investigation since June 2020 following a complaint by a 13-year-old.
Bruno Martini, 1.93 meters tall, was a French goalkeeper who competed in the country’s first world championships in men’s handball in 1995 and 2001, thanks to the successes that started Gallic excellence in the sport, currently a six-time world champion.
Last November, Martini was elected president of the French Handball League, ensuring that its goal is focused on visibility and economic development based on the right values.
The investigation into Martini is the latest in a string of scandals in France’s sporting leadership following a two-year suspended sentence of Bernard Laporte, president of the Rugby Federation, on charges of corruption, as well as allegations of moral harassment and sex with Noel Le Grae. , President of the French Football Federation, who was forced to resign.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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