French soccer player Wissam Ben Yedder will remain free until he can stand trial on charges of drunken sexual assault, his lawyer told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Marie Rumyantseva said Ben Yedder would be subject to strict judicial supervision after a woman filed a sexual assault lawsuit earlier this month.
Ben Yedder, 34, a prolific striker in the French league, was briefly detained and then released after an incident in his car on the French Riviera. Ben Yedder was initially arrested by police after refusing to be taken into custody. He was then taken to prison.
After being summoned to appear in court on October 15 and placed under judicial supervision, the Nice prosecutor’s office appealed the decision not to detain the player. The investigation department of the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal did not accept this request and placed Ben Yedder under judicial supervision.
Ben Yedder appeared before a court on Tuesday and offered to go to rehab. He admitted driving while intoxicated but denied sexual assault.
In a separate legal case last year, Ben Yedder was charged with “rape, attempted rape and sexual assault” in relation to another incident in southern France.
Ben Yedder has been without a club since his contract with Monaco expired at the end of last season.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
