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Christoph Metzelder in the courtroom: "Real remorse shown"
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
Christoph Metzelder has now been legally convicted of possessing and passing on child pronography.
The public prosecutor's office in Düsseldorf has withdrawn the appeal against the corresponding ruling by the local court.
The court announced that both sides had waived their right to appeal.
The ten-month suspended sentence against the former professional footballer is now in place.
The 40-year-old also refrained from returning his cell phone, which had been seized as evidence, it is said.
Therapy completed
Metzelder had confessed to owning child and youth pornographic files and forwarding them to three women.
The lawyer of the ex-soccer professional, Ulrich Sommer, had left it open whether his client would accept the judgment.
The court had assessed a number of factors mitigating the penalty.
The extensive reporting worked like an anticipated punishment.
Metzelder is unlikely to be able to pursue his professional activity or take part in public life for the foreseeable future.
He was also given positive credit for having completed therapy at an early stage.
"He showed real remorse for me," the judge had said.
apr / dpa
