Ullrich arrested for assaulting prostitute
Jan Ullrich's spiral out of control took a new twist Friday as he was arrested for assaulting an escort girl just before starting detox.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
FRANKFURT (AFP) — Jan Ullrich’s spiral out of control took a new twist Friday as he was arrested for assaulting an “escort girl” just before starting detox.
After spending the night with this woman, the only German winner of the Tour de France hit her and strangled her, authorities said. The police told AFP that the victim required medical care. Ullrich was arrested in the early morning at a luxury hotel in Frankfurt.
Currently in custody, Ullrich, 44, was “under the influence of alcohol and drugs” during his arrest, said prosecutor Nadja Niesent.
“An investigation is underway for attempted homicide, assault and battery, possession of dangerous goods, but the prosecution does not currently see any serious indication of attempted murder … and [therefore] reason to place him in pre-trial detention,” she added, although a judge will decide this question Friday.
The winner of the 1997 Tour de France arrived in Germany the day before from Spain, where he lives in Mallorca, to start therapy and try to treat his alcohol and drug addictions.
Last Friday, he was arrested by the Spanish police. He allegedly forced his way onto the property of his neighbor, German actor and director Til Schweiger, and provoked a fight in his garden.
After his detention in Spain, he stated in the German media that the episode had led him to seek help and rehabilitation. He has not seen his three children since late 2017 — their mother has had custody of them since the separation.
According to the German press, he received last week the support of his great sports rival, the American Lance Armstrong.