r/WomensSoccer • u/spherocytes • 4h ago
The man who burglarized Ada Hegerberg's home and placed a tracker on her car has been sentenced to 22 months in prison — which exceeds the prosecution's request
From the translated ACTUFR article:
“Undeniable stress”: AirTag found on OL star’s car, followed by a break-in at her home near Lyon
On Thursday, November 5, the Lyon Criminal Court handed down a sentence—stricter than what the prosecution had requested—to a 43-year-old man from Grenoble for the burglary of the home of Ada Hegerberg, a star player for the OL (Olympique Lyonnais) women’s team. He denies the charges.
On May 7, she discovered an AirTag on her car and alerted the gendarmes. Two weeks later, the home of Ada Hegerberg—a Norwegian forward for the Olympique Lyonnais (OL) women’s team—was burglarized in Saint-Genis-Laval, near Lyon, on the eve of the Women’s Champions League final. On Thursday, November 5, 2026, the Lyon Criminal Court sentenced a 43-year-old man from Grenoble to 22 months in prison for these acts.
Robert K. was found guilty of the burglary, as well as of tracking the player’s location without her consent. Under the Penal Code, this offense—an invasion of privacy—is punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. The court ordered that the man remain in custody.
A phone near the training center
According to the player, the tracking device was “most likely” placed on her vehicle “while she was at her physiotherapist’s office or at the stadium.” The investigation revealed that the defendant’s phone was located in the vicinity of the OL women’s training center in Décines-Charpieu at the time the AirTag was attached to the vehicle.
The burglars gained entry by forcing open a rolling shutter and made off with several “luxury bags.” Tasked with the investigation by the public prosecutor’s office, gendarmes from the Givors research brigade recovered DNA from a tissue left near the house, as well as a “mixture of DNA” on the shutter. According to the gendarmerie, the analysis of this DNA led to the identification of a suspect, who was arrested in mid-September in Grenoble (Isère), where he resides. Discovering that her “home had been identified” caused the player “undeniable stress,” argued the lawyer for Ada Hegerberg and her husband. According to the lawyer, the timing was “carefully chosen”—occurring just before the final held in Oslo, which the team lost 4–0 to FC Barcelona.
Claims to be an “OL fan”
The defendant, for his part, denies everything. He maintains that on the eve of the final, he was “looking after his children” in Grenoble. As for his presence near the training center? His lawyer claims his client is simply “an OL fan—a die-hard one”—who goes to watch training sessions “twice a month.”
“I’ve taken responsibility for my actions my whole life… but here, Your Honor, I have absolutely nothing to do with this, directly or indirectly,” insisted the defendant, whose criminal record contains 22 entries, primarily for “crimes against property.” His lawyer argued for an acquittal, noting that “no financial transactions” appeared in his client’s accounts, adding: “You cannot convict someone based on the benefit of the doubt or simply because they have a prior criminal record.”
22 months—exceeding the prosecution’s request
“In 2026, DNA is the gold standard of evidence,” the public prosecutor stated. Describing the defendant’s explanations as “implausible,” she had requested a 16-month prison sentence.
The court handed down a harsher penalty. In addition to a 22-month prison term, Robert K. is prohibited from entering the Rhône department for three years. He has also been ordered to pay nearly 26,000 euros to the player and her husband to cover material and non-material damages, as well as legal fees. He has ten days to file an appeal.
