As feisty as ever! Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann fined for destroying his neighbour's garage with a CHAINSAW

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been fined by a German court after he damaged his neighbour's garage with a chainsaw.

WHAT HAPPENED?
After claiming that his neighbour's new garage blocked his view of Lake Starnberg from his Bavarian home, in July 2022 former Arsenal man Lehmann broke into the garage and sawed off a roof beam with a chainsaw. After being found guilty of that and other charges including insulting behaviour and attempted fraud for the incident, the 54-year-old was fined€420,000 (£365,000).

WHAT THE JUDGE SAID
Judge Tanja Walter said that Lehmann had "consistently made himself out to be a victim of the justice system," but that he is "not a victim, he is a perpetrator," who presented "outrageous stories" in his defense in court.
After Lehmann claimed that it was a coincidence that he was carrying a chainsaw when he entered the garage, and that he had been the victim of a "character assassination" the judge said: "The only person who has behaved in a way that damages his own reputation is the defendant himself."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Lehmann retired in 2011 after enjoying a stellar career at both club and international level. He was a member of the Arsenal invincibles side that won the Premier League in 2003-04, and he also won the Bundesliga, UEFA Cup and Serie A with Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 and AC Milan respectively. He saved two penalties in Germany's 2006 World Cup quarter-final shootout victory against Argentina. In 2021, he was sacked from his position on the supervisory board at Hertha Berlin after sending a racially insensitive WhatsApp message.

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WHAT NEXT FOR LEHMANN?
It's unclear what Lehmann plans to do next, although anyone planning to irritate him would probably be wise to reconsider.

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