Essen (dpa / lnw) – A 29-year-old father is to be jailed for throwing a firecracker in the regional league top game between Rot-Weiss Essen and Preußen Münster in mid-February. The district court in Essen sentenced the man to 2 years and 2 months in prison on Wednesday for causing an explosives explosion in conjunction with dangerous bodily harm. The court said so. A penalty of this magnitude cannot be suspended.
“The conviction is based on the conviction of the court that the defendant threw a firecracker on February 20, 2022 during the regional league game RWE against Preußen Münster, which detonated next to the substitute players of Preußen Münster,” the statement said. As a result, two substitute players, the Münster athletics trainer and a ball boy suffered bang trauma.
The police had tracked down the alleged firecracker when evaluating photos and videos through a conspicuous facial tattoo. The man was silent in court. His lawyer pleaded for acquittal because the perpetrators were not proven beyond a doubt by the videos. The court did not follow that.
The verdict against the 29-year-old is not yet final. According to a report in the “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung”, the convict wants to appeal. When the game was 1-1 in the 72nd minute, a so-called Poland firecracker flew out of the Essen fan curve in the direction of the field, where Munster’s substitutes were staying. The game was stopped and later counted as a defeat for RWE. In addition, the Esseners had to pay a fine of 15,000 euros. The loss of three points even jeopardized RWE’s promotion to the 3rd division.
