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Oliver Pocher slapped: fine for fat comedy
Oliver Pocher in the Dortmund district court. photo
© Dieter Menne/dpa
Two years ago, Fat Comedy struck – and had the attack against Oliver Pocher filmed. The video and other postings went viral online. During the trial, the comedian also described his fear.
Huge media rush, rapper Fat Comedy in the dock, Oliver Pocher as a prominent co-plaintiff and witness: Two years after an attack on the comedian on the sidelines of a boxing match in Dortmund, the district court sentenced the 24-year-old rapper to a fine of 120 daily rates of 15 euros each for intentional bodily harm. The judgment is not final and appeals are possible.
Fat Comedy told media representatives shortly before the start of the trial that he would take the punishment as it comes – no matter what it turns out to be. Pocher’s side initially did not comment. After the verdict, the 46-year-old left the court building through a side exit – past the cameras.
Fat Comedy is remorseful
Fat Comedy apologized “from the heart” to Pocher during the trial. At the age of 22, he made a “huge mistake” that he regrets. This applies to the slap itself and also to the video of the act that a friend made for him at the time – and to other postings that he spread about it on social media, the defendant described in a statement presented by his defense lawyer.
He actually just wanted to make a “verbal announcement” to Pocher, but then anger arose in him and he lashed out. “I’m really sorry that it turned out so badly.”
The public prosecutor’s office had argued for a suspended prison sentence of ten months. Fat Comedy wanted to use the campaign to increase its popularity and gain additional followers, said senior public prosecutor Carola Jakobs. It’s not acceptable to simply strike because you don’t like someone. Fat Comedy had previously stated through his defense attorney that he had previously been bullied a lot because of his physical size – up to 250 kilograms in the worst phases. This came to his attention during the attack against Pocher, as he “likes to dish it out verbally against others”.
Pocher’s side also called for a prison sentence. The attack was by no means spontaneous, but was planned in advance, as evidenced by the commissioned filming of the crime. Pocher also became a victim in two respects given the “humiliating display” of the slap on the Internet and numerous postings by the defendant, emphasized lawyer Andreas Thiel. The video, which shows the attacker punching the comedian in the face without warning, is said to have been viewed millions of times.
Pocher describes his fear
Pocher reported as a witness that the blow came “out of nowhere”. “I felt like I had been hit by a baseball bat.” He also felt threatened immediately after the blow and the situation was unclear. The 46-year-old – in a gray suit and tie – said in a serious tone that he didn’t know whether further blows would follow, whether Fat Comedy had a knife in his pocket or whether other perpetrators might be lying in wait for him in the hall. He spoke of a “certain life-threatening situation.”
Pocher explained that he had been treated with cortisone injections for tinnitus during repeated visits to the doctor. The blow also caused him temporary balance problems and headaches. He didn’t know Fat Comedy until then and never said anything against him. He considers his actions to be “deliberate and underhanded.” The comedian and presenter also reported that a lot of eggs had been thrown at his house at night “very causally” to the case. His children, who were one and two years old at the time, were at home.
There was no physical damage left, but since the attack he has “thought three times about where I was going,” Pocher said. “There are people who just think I’m stupid. And that’s legitimate.” However, attacking someone with physical violence in public and then spreading it on social media for the purpose of “self-profiling” is completely unacceptable.
In this case, Fat Comedy had already been sentenced in the summer of 2023 by the Frankfurt regional court in a civil case to pay 5,000 euros in compensation and 45,000 euros in monetary compensation. Pocher had demanded a higher sum in the civil lawsuit. The Frankfurt judgment is not yet legally binding. Fat Comedy had filed an appeal, the proceedings are before the Higher Regional Court.
Unexpected one-on-one conversation
Dortmund judge Stephanie Heinzelmann made it clear that bodily harm could be punished with up to five years in prison. In mitigating the sentence, she took into account, among other things, that the defendant voluntarily paid Pocher 2,000 euros in compensation. The rapper’s defense attorney, Burkhard Benecken, emphasized that his client’s crime should not be trivialized. However, Pocher performed at a live show the day after the slap.
Before Pocher left the building, there was an unexpected, non-public one-on-one conversation. What was exchanged between him and Fat Comedy in the corner of a courtroom hallway is unknown. Because after all the commotion, Pocher asked media representatives: “Can you all please go.”