French footballer, Karim Benzema, who plays for the Spanish football club, Real Madrid, has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence by a court in Marseille, France. The 33-year old striker was facing charges of blackmailing fellow French footballer Mathieu Valbuena in 2015 over a 'sex tape'.
Benzema was facing charges along with four others over a sexually explicit video that was stolen from Valbuena's phone. A French court in Marseille found these five people guilty and sentenced them to a one-year suspended prison. The judge also handed a fine of €75,000 (£63,000).
The said incident dates back to June 2015 when both Benzema and Valbuena were at a training camp. 'Benzema put pressure on Valbuena to pay off the blackmailers, whom he had conspired with to act as an intermediary,' prosecutors said to BBC.
Benzema's lawyers denied the footballer's involvement and said 'This outcome in no way corresponds with the reality of events,' lawyer Antoine Vey was quoted by Daily Mail UK.
The French striker was not present at the court for the hearing. He is currently with the Real Madrid side that will play against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Champions League.
Karim Benzema has always denied the allegations and has always maintained that he was 'trying to help' Valbuena to get out of the compromising situation. There hasn't been any comment yet by Real Madrid or France Football on the issue.
Will Karim Benzema Got To Jail?
The French footballer will not be spending any of his time in jail as he has been handed a 'suspended sentence'. In a 'Suspended Sentence' the guilty persons are given a prison sentence which they have to serve if they commit another crime within a specified period of time, according to Collins Dictionary.