Arsenal legend Lehmann charged after 'taking chainsaw to neighbour's garage'

19 June 2023 , 15:55

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Jens Lehmann issued a statement on Twitter in relation to allegations against him

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has been charged with property damage after allegedly taking a chainsaw to a neighbour's property, according to reports in Germany.

Lehmann, part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' squad and their starting keeper in the 2006 Champions League final, is now living back in Germany. The 53-year-old, who retired in 2011 after a brief second spell with the Gunners, owns a property near Lake Starnberg in Bavaria.

According to Suddeutsche Zeitung, the former Germany international allegedly attempted to gain an unobstructed view of the lake and took a chainsaw to the neighbour's garage. It is being reported that the Munich II public prosecutor has brought a number of charges against the ex-pro. Lehmann has denied the allegations against him.

Jens Lehmann had two spells as a player with Arsenal (PA)

Suddeutsche Zeitung's report makes reference to an incident alleged to have taken place in July of last year. Police claim a cable was torn from a surveillance camera before Lehmann is alleged to have sawn apart a roof beam of the under-construction garage with a chainsaw.

It has been claimed that the camera in question continued to film, using battery camera, with Lehmann allegedly visible in footage. In addition to the property damage charge, Lehmann has also been charged with fraud in relation to an unrelated matter.

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"The allegations made against me are not correct," Lehmann wrote on Twitter. "The fraud allegations made against me concern an unpaid parking ticket over €90. The damage, as always, is the enormous damage to reputation and disregard for privacy."

Lehmann, 53, played international football for Germany (FRIEDEMANN VOGEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Lehmann first joined Arsenal in 2003 after a more than 100 league appearances for Borussia Dortmund. He won the Premier League in his first season with the Gunners, playing all 38 league games as Arsene Wenger's side went the entire season unbeaten.

He left for Stuttgart in the summer of 2008 - the same summer in which he won the last of his 61 caps for Germany. His final appearance for his country came in the final of Euro 2008, when Germany suffered a 1-0 defeat against Spain.

Lehmann's second Arsenal spell, in 2011, required him to come out of retirement to help the club deal with an injury crisis. The keeper also worked on Arsenal's coaching staff after hanging up his gloves for a second time.

Tom Victor