QPR midfielder Ilias Chair has been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of fracturing a truck driver's skull.
The Morocco international received the verdict from a court in Antwerp on Friday morning.
As reported by talkSPORT, he is set to serve one year in jail, as well as a further 12-month suspended sentence and must pay the victim £13,400 in compensation.
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As per the trial, the incident is said to have happened on a kayaking trip in Bazeilles, northern France, in the summer of 2020.
Chair, his brother Jaber and friends are alleged to have got into a dispute with the driver, who prosecutors claim suffered a skull fracture two centimetres long after being struck by a stone.
The driver, referred to as 'Niels T' in court, still feels the effects from the "almost fatal" assault.
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At a January hearing, Antwerp's public prosecutor said: "According to many people involved, Ilias Chair lashed out at Niels T with a stone and knocked him unconscious.
"The consequences were dramatic for Niels T. He suffered a severe skull fracture, two centimetres long, and was taken to hospital at Reims in critical condition.
"Afterwards he had to recover for a long time in a Belgian hospital, and could not do his job as a lorry driver for a long time.
"The blow was almost fatal for him, and he still feels the after-effects."
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Jaber was hit with a six-month suspended sentence and £700 fine. The court rejected pleas for a retrial on Friday.
Chair debuted with QPR in 2017 and has made over 200 appearances, scoring 30 times.
The club reacted to the media reports and issued a statement, which read: "The club are, and have been, in regular contact with Ilias Chair’s legal team regarding a charge of assault which has been made against him.
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"The legal proceeding is yet to reach its conclusion. As such, the club will be making no further comment at this stage."
Topics: QPR
Josh Lawless