February 3 – French football stars Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema have been cleared on all charges in their underage sex trial in Paris. The prosecution had been tasked with proving they had illegally slept with a teenage prostitute – a crime which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Paying for sex is not illegal in France provided all parties involved are over 18 but underage prostitution is.
Neither Ribery nor Benzema attend their trial where they were alleged to have paid prostitute-turned-fashion model Zahia Dehar when she was 16 or 17.
Ribery admitted paying her for sex but claimed he did not know her age. Benzema denied having any sexual relations with Dehar.
Jean-Julien Xavier-Rolai for the prosecution told Paris’ Correctional Court that it was “impossible to prove” the case against the Bayern Munich and Real Madrid stars.
Daniel Vaconsin, Ms Dehar’s barrister, confirmed she had withdrawn as a civil plaintiff in the case, so will not be seeking damages. “She is not asking for anything,” he said.
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