Karim Benzema and 15-year-old: How the Real Madrid star was once accused of s***al assault

Karim Benzema was accused of sexually assaulting a 15 year old back in 2014. The Frenchman was playing for Real Madrid at the time.

The crime was reportedly committed in 2009 against Zahia Dehar, who was 21 at the time of accusing. Karim Benzema was accused of knowingly paying for sex for a woman that was under the age of 18. However, the Frenchman denied the occurrence of the incident.

The age of consent is 15 in France, but paying for sex with anyone under 18 is considered a crime. The trial went forward at the time after France’s top court determined that only those who knew a sex worker was underage may be found guilty of breaking the law.

This meant that Benzema could face three years prison and also be fined up to €45,000. However, the forward was acquitted of any crimes by the criminal court of Paris, stating it was unclear whether Dehar was underage at the time of the incident.

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Karim Benzema sex-tape scandal

Karim Benzema was involved in a sex tape scandal in 2015, in which he was accused of conspiring to blackmail his French national team teammate, Mathieu Valbuena, over a sex tape. Benzema was charged with complicity in attempted blackmail and conspiracy to commit a criminal act.

The forward denied any wrongdoing. However, the scandal caused him to be excluded from the French national team for several years.

Benzema’s trial was delayed several times due to legal challenges, but in November 2021, he was acquitted of all charges related to the sex tape scandal. The court found that there was not enough evidence to support the allegations against him.

He has since returned to the French national team featuring in several qualifying ties. However, he announced his international retirement in late 2022.

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