Marc Höcher, ex-professional footballer of Helmond Sport and Willem II, has been given a community service order of one hundred hours by the court in Breda. The 41-year-old Waalwijker sexually approached a sixteen-year-old girl via WhatsApp at the end of September last year. The two knew each other for a few years. The victim played at his football school in Eindhoven and received private training from him.
According to the judge, Höcher took advantage of the age difference and the fact that the girl was one of his pupils. The public prosecutor found two weeks ago that the former assistant coach of FC Den Bosch had enormously damaged the physical and mental sexual development of the victim.
Major absentee
Höcher was the main absentee at the hearings that preceded the ruling. According to his lawyer, the Waalwijker has been threatened, sought out and harassed since it became known that he had a far-reaching sexual conversation with a student at his football school. Höcher was held in custody for a few days in April, when he immediately made a confession.
While chatting, the ex-pro asked what kind of clothes the girl was wearing and whether she wanted to kiss him. He was also pleasuring himself and asked if he could perform sexual acts on her.
Parents called the police
The victim did not respond to his advances, after which Höcher asked to erase the conversation. The girl only did this after she had taken photos of their app traffic. This could prove that Höcher had tried to seduce her. That happened after her parents called the police.
In addition to the community service order of 100 hours, of which 40 hours are conditional, there is also a probationary period of two years. The court took into account the fact that ‘the media attention surrounding the case in particular has had a major and negative impact on Höcher’s life’. Furthermore, he has been summarily dismissed and is unable to find work again, even outside the (football) industry in which he has always been active.
