Four-month Suspended Sentence For Man Who Slapped German Leader

BERLIN, Aug 27 (AFP) - An unemployed man who slapped Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the face at a political rally was give a four-month suspended jail sentence Friday by a court in southern Germany.
The accused, Jens Ammoser, 52, conducted his own defence at the Mannheim court and wore a T-shirt during the one-day trial with his bank account number emblazoned on it.
It was unclear if his dress was meant to attract donations.
Ammoser slapped Schroeder as he was signing autographs at a Social Democrat (SPD) party rally in the city on May 18 ahead of the European parliament elections. He has shown no remorse over the assault.
The SPD has been trailing at less than 30 percent in opinion polls for months and has lost tens of thousands of members disgruntled by a tough economic and social reform package introduced by Schroeder last year.