Ribery, Benzema acquitted in trial over underage prostitute

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema were acquitted Thursday on charges that they knowingly solicited an underage prostitute, putting an end to a case that had  been ongoing for over three years.

A French judge ruled there was not enough evidence to prove that the two footballers were aware Zahia Dehar, now 21, was a minor when the initial encounters between them took place in 2008 and 2009.

While the age of consent in France is 15, paying for sex with anyone under the age of 18 is a crime punishable by a maximum of three years in prison.

Ribery has admitted to having sex with Dehar, but the latter has also stated that she lied to the two players about her age upon meeting them.

None of the three were present at the trial, but the relief of the verdict was clear on the face of Ribery's lawyer.

Per the Associated Press:

...Carlo Alberto Brusa, who was in tears as he phoned the France star to tell him he'd been cleared of all charges.

"When you experience moments like that you get goose bumps, as he told me himself," Brusa told The Associated Press when asked how Ribery felt upon hearing the news. "He has an extraordinary character, and he's someone I respect a lot. I think it's a victory, a victory for justice."

Predictably, Benzema's lawyer Sylvain Cormier echoed those sentiments. 

Cormier called the verdict "the end of a nightmare" for Benzema. "It was very painful for him. He's a strong person, he really ipressed me. Four years is a very long time."