The Denmark striker Nicki Bille Nielsen could be sentenced to up to eight years in prison when he appears in court on Thursday accused of biting a police officer during a night out with friends in Copenhagen earlier this year.
Nielsen, who now plays for French Ligue 1 side Evian, was arrested for kicking a parking meter in April while still on the books of Norwegian club Rosenborg. He was put in a police van, where it was claimed the 27-year-old had to be subdued with pepper spray, before allegedly biting the arresting officer.
“He is quiet here with his family,” Nielsen’s compatriot and Évian team-mate Jesper Hansen told local newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré.
“He is a sensitive man, with a lot of heart. He is a good person. On the field, he is a fighter who works hard every training session. When he was younger, he liked to party. Now he is quieter and there are no paparazzi here.”
Nielsen, who has won three caps for his counry, once went on trial at Newcastle and Portsmouth and has also played in Italy and Spain. If found guilty by the court, he could receive a jail term of up to eight years.
