Suspended sentence for Jan Ullrich after alcohol accident - Jan Ullrich does not have to go to prison

Former professional cyclist Jan Ullrich has been given a 21-month suspended prison sentence in Switzerland for causing a car accident while drunk. This was decided by the district court in Weinfelden on Thursday. "What happened is terrible and reprehensible. The limits are the same for everyone - whether top athletes or 'normal people' doesn't matter," the tabloid Blick quoted the judge as saying.

The prosecution and defence had pleaded for a 17-month suspended prison sentence. The probation period is four years. According to the court, Ullrich had wilfully and grossly violated the traffic regulations and was driving while unfit to drive. The Rostock-born cyclist must pay the legal costs and a fine of just under 8,700 euros.

"I made a mistake three and a half years ago that I very much regret. Apart from that, I said everything," Blick quoted Ullrich as saying in his closing words in court. He apologised for his behaviour. After the judgement was handed down, Ulrich was relieved, as his lawyers announced. The long duration of the proceedings had been stressful for him and his family. Ullrich will not lodge an appeal, said his lawyer Markus Neff.

According to statements made in court, Ullrich had drunk a lot of white wine on 19 May 2014 before driving to a business meeting. He had also taken the sedative Valium due to a slipped disc. According to his own statements, he felt fit to drive. The accident then occurred on the way back. He hit two cars at excessive speed. Nobody was injured.

Ullrich apologised to the victims and paid compensation, said Neff. "A friendly relationship has developed with one of the victims' families." According to Neff, Ullrich had overestimated his body as a former top athlete and was therefore unable to properly categorise the excessive alcohol consumption.

The 43-year-old Ullrich had already been convicted once in Switzerland for speeding and making phone calls at the wheel without a hands-free set. A few months ago, the long-time Swiss by choice moved to Mallorca with his family.

In the opinion of the public prosecutor's office, Ullrich had acted "recklessly" at the time. "It is more down to chance that there were no serious injuries or even fatalities," said the public prosecutor.

At an initial trial in 2015, Ullrich and the public prosecutor's office agreed to a shortened trial with a suspended prison sentence and a fine. However, the judge did not agree to the deal and demanded further expert reports.

The aim was to clarify how fast Ullrich was travelling in the 80 km/h zone. The public prosecutor's office said at the time that Ullrich had been driving at 139 kilometres per hour - one kilometre per hour too slow for him to go to prison. According to Swiss law, Ullrich should have been sentenced to at least one year in prison for driving 140 kilometres per hour or more. In the retrial, an expert opinion came to the conclusion that Ullrich had actually been driving slightly slower at 132 kilometres per hour. He is therefore not legally considered a speeding offence.

Almost 20 years ago, Ullrich was 23 years old and the first German to win the Tour de France. The hype surrounding him lasted for many years. At the start of the Tour in Strasbourg in 2006, things took an abrupt turn. The world champion, Olympic champion and "Sportsman of the Year" was linked to doping. The deep fall began.

"The exceptional talent is still committed to cycling with unbridled enthusiasm," says Ullrich's website today. He now offers exclusive cycling holidays for athletes and works as a self-employed entrepreneur. According to the public prosecutor's office, Ullrich earns 5.7 million euros per year.enter text here