In the center of Essen, a man was beaten up by RWE ultras because he was shopping wearing a Schalke shirt. “Despicable,” say the judges.

Around a year and a half after a brutal attack on a Schalke fan, a supporter of Rot-Weiß Essen must now go to prison. The judges at Essen Regional Court sentenced him to two years and eight months in prison for robbery. It was during the European Football Championship when the defendant was walking along Kaulbachstraße in Essen-Holsterhausen with other RWE fans. The victim had done nothing to them.

The father of two had just come back from shopping. He was wearing a blue T-shirt with the words “Nordkurve” on it, which his wife had given him as a gift. Shortly afterwards, all hell broke loose.

The father of two was dragged onto the street and beaten – including with a belt. Only when the attackers had torn the Schalke shirt off his body did they flee. After brutal attack: perpetrator lost his health insurance card at the scene of the crime It was pure coincidence that the defendant was caught at all. He had lost his keys and his health insurance card during the attack. He later picked up both items from the police. “The crime was despicable,” said Judge Matthias Röcken in the 16th Criminal Chamber’s reasoning for the verdict. The 36-year-old only became a victim because he was a Schalke fan. “He didn’t shout anything, he didn’t incite anyone.” The torn T-shirt was later found in the defendant’s apartment. According to the RWE fan, it was supposed to be something of a trophy. They wanted to take a photo of it and then return it. However, that is not what happened. Schalke fan attacked: Children are still terrified

The Schalke fan’s injuries healed after a week. However, according to him, his two small children are still terrified. They had to watch the attack from the window of their apartment and have not dared to go out on the streets of Essen wearing their Schalke jerseys since. “We see the psychological consequences – especially in the children,” said Judge Röcken in his ruling. “These are serious consequences.”

At the time, the defendant was a member of the “Freaks Essen Ultras.” It was not his first conviction in connection with soccer games. The 29-year-old had already been fined in Cologne and Krefeld. On one occasion, he had insulted a police officer, and on another, he had damaged a police vehicle.

With the current verdict, the judges remained well below the prosecution’s request, which had called for six years in prison, taking into account a previous conviction. When the RWE fan heard the request, he burst into tears. “I am so incredibly sorry for everything,” he told the judges. He did not reveal who his accomplices were.