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Rapper Fler has to pay 10,000 euros to a Berlin street work association
Photo: Olaf Wagner / imago images
His loud exit remains final: since Patrick Losensky, alias Fler, stormed out of the courtroom in a rage at the end of January, the rapper stayed away from his trial - and this Wednesday also skipped the announcement of the verdict in the Berlin-Tiergarten district court.
The presiding judge, Carsten Schwanitz, can explain why the four-person jury sentenced the rapper, who has 15 previous convictions, to ten months' probation and a fine of 10,000 euros.
When the trial began in November and then restarted in January after the defendant was on sick leave, the public prosecutor's office came up with 24 allegations.
Then the court separated the insults from rapper Bushido and his wife Anna-Maria Ferchichi from the proceedings.
16 allegations remained, in eleven cases the rapper is guilty: sixfold insults, triple driving without a driver's license, attempted coercion and aiding and abetting the prohibited communication from legal proceedings.
Most serious was the attempted coercion of a »Tagesspiegel« journalist, whose article about the feud between Fler and Bushido Losensky was displeasing.
He sent a picture via Twitter showing the doorbell of the house in which the journalist had previously lived.
Fler threatened visitors and - after the journalist had published the threats - slaps "in the face".
The rapper was not even impressed by a threat from the police and continued to write: "Thank you that the police were just here ... if the article is not down tomorrow you know what I do love!"
In court, the defendant stated that a professional rapper never strikes.
Can you believe a man who has already been convicted of assault on several occasions?
In any case, Fler is lucky that the »Tagesspiegel« was not impressed by his threat - the attempt is punished more mildly than the consummation.
The judge pays tribute to harassed policemen
Posting a link to the "Bushido-Leaks" website is also considered a criminal offense by the court.
In July 2020, Fler had referred to the protocol of the police interrogation of Bushido in the Telegram chat group he operated with 8,791 subscribers.
This was published on the website hosted in Switzerland and could influence witnesses who are supposed to testify in the current criminal proceedings against four members of the Abou Chaker family.
Right at the beginning of the trial against Fler, defense attorney Stefan König tried to weaken the allegations of insult: the accused is a rap artist, he plays a role and this also includes verbal abuse.
To have “beef” together is what the rap scene calls it.
But neighbors, lawyers, police officers and influencers of the fitness scene don't have to put up with them, according to Judge Carsten Schwanitz.
The chairman pays extra respect to the police officer, whom Fler inflicted immensely on the occasion of a traffic control in September 2019 as a »tail«, »hooker«, »rag« and »jumping jack« - for his self-control.
The judge becomes difficult when assessing whether the rapper drove without a driver's license.
Communication with the driver's license office was "unfortunate" for the accused.
This had lost his driver's license because of turf and had undergone an MPU report.
In order to influence this positively, he kept silent about a current criminal case against himself.
Nevertheless, the driver's license office should have given him his driver's license first after they had informed him that it was ready to be picked up, said Judge Schwanitz.
Later, Fler would have had to justify why he was suddenly denied his driver's license.
"He needs a bit of emphasis"
Meanwhile Losensky had sought advice from a lawyer.
He assured him that he could get back behind the wheel.
After a police officer explained the opposite to the rapper during an inspection, the lawyer wanted to re-examine his assessment.
At least now the accused knew, according to the court, that the re-issuance of his driver's license is uncertain.
While the prosecutor thinks that Fler can only be appeased with a stay in prison, the court wants to try again with a suspended sentence.
Fler has to act with impunity for three years.
"He needs a bit of emphasis," says the judge.
This also includes the payment of 10,000 euros to Gangway, a Berlin association for street work - in favor of children and young people, some of whom are sure to like the rapper Fler.
In the end, the defense and the public prosecutor seem equally satisfied with the verdict.
An appointment will be examined, both say in unison.
It doesn't sound like a new round in court.
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