A SERIE A star has been handed a 14-month prison sentence after admitting gunrunning and weapons possession charges.

Uruguay youth international and ex-Atletico Madrid player Nicolas Schiappacasse struck a deal with state prosecutors over his January arrest for being caught with a 9mm pistol in a car.

Reports at the time said he had told investigators he was taking the weapon to a fan of Uruguayan-top flight side Penarol ahead of a derby match against arch-rivals Nacional.

As part of his plea bargain deal the 23-year-old will be allowed to serve six months of his prison sentence at his parents’ home.

He will then be on parole and ordered to do four hours of community service each week and sign on regularly at a local police station.

The two months and 12 days he spent in jail on remand near the Uruguayan capital Montevideo before Thursday’s court hearing, will be deducted from his sentence.

Read More Football

Ruben Neves is Ten Hag’s top transfer target EXCLUSIVE, Darwin Nunez scouted

Ronaldo v Rooney, from amazing careers to glam Wags, huge wealth & controversies

Schiappacasse, who still has more than a year left on his contract with Italian top-flight side Sassuolo, has been given permission to train and play with third division Uruguayan side El Tanque Sisley.

But he has been told he must stay indoors at all other times until he completes his six-month house arrest.

Schiappacasse, all-time top scorer for the Uruguay U20 team with 21 goals, was due to start his first training session on Friday.

The footballer was arrested on January 26 during a routine police stop in his homeland after a gun was discovered in a coat on his lap.

Most read in Football

Cops released photos showing him being handcuffed by the side of the road by a police vehicle as well as the weapon they had seized.

The footballer is understood to have been on his way to see Penarol play against Nacional when he was held with two women aged 22 and 18 and a second man aged 22 who was known to the police.

Local reports at the time said he had been planning on handing the weapon over to a Penarol supporter once he was inside the stadium.

Schiappacasse was on loan to Penarol when he was held and was about to agree a new six-month loan with the South American club.

The footballer, who amassed 80 caps and 35 goals for different Uruguay youth teams over six years, was in prison until the hearing.

His lawyer Karen Pintos said after he received his punishment: “At the beginning he was very depressed but afterwards he started adapting to prison life.

“He is very repentant and showed it at all times during the hearing. He’s a young lad who deserves another opportunity.”

The jail where Schiappacasse was held for more than two months is called Florida Prison and lies around 62 miles north of Montevideo next to a council rubbish dump.

He caught Covid after being admitted to a wing where 25 of the 30 inmates had coronavirus and spent his first days in quarantine.

State prosecutor Carolina Dean told local media days after Schiappacasse’s arrest: “It was clear he acquired weapons, traded with them, bought them and loaned them.”

She also said WhatsApp messages showed the gun he was caught with had been taken to “public places” including football matches and the footballer had confessed to acquiring firearms without a licence on at least three occasions.

Read More on The Sun

Thirty dead & 100 wounded after Russian rocket hits Ukraine station

Nikki Grahame fans say the same thing after Pete Bennett’s absence from doc

As well as Atletico Madrid, Schiappacasse also had loan spells at Serie A club Parma and newly-promoted Portuguese first division side Famalicao.

He signed for Sassuolo on October 5 2020 on a permanent basis.

Source: Read Full Article