Former Barcelona and Brazilian player Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault.
The Catalan Supreme Court convicted him of sexually assaulting a woman in an upscale location Barcelona Nightclub early on New Year's Eve in 2022.
The victim said that Alves raped her in the bathroom. The court also ordered him to pay €150,000 (£128,479.50) to the victim.
The 40-year-old former right-back was arrested in January 2023. He has been in custody since then and had his bail requests rejected as the court deemed him a flight risk.
The Brazilian Federal Constitution guarantees that no Brazilian citizen may be extradited to the country.
File photo: AP
The victim told state prosecutors that she danced with Elvis on the night of the assault and willingly entered the nightclub's bathroom, but when she later wanted to leave, she was not allowed to do so.
She said he then slapped her, insulted her, and forced her to have sex against her will.
Alves denied any wrongdoing during the trial, telling the court: “I'm not that kind of man.”
During the investigation of the case, Alves said while in custody that he did not have any sexual contact with her.
Read more:
Wake up to Russian threat, say Estonian weekend warriors to the UK
Japanese Yakuza leader accused of smuggling nuclear materials to Iran
He later admitted to having sexual relations with the victim but said it was consensual. He said he was trying to save his marriage by not acknowledging the encounter at first.
During the trial, Alves' defense focused on trying to show that he was drunk when he met the woman.
pic file. Reuters
Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison sentence for Alves, while the victim's lawyers asked for 12 years.
His defense asked for him to be acquitted, or to be sentenced to one year in prison if convicted, in addition to compensation of 50,000 euros (£42,765) to the victim.
The courts' decision can be appealed. The Public Prosecutor's Office said it would study the ruling and then consider whether to appeal it.
In October 2022, Spain It passed new legislation—dubbed the “Yes Only Means Yes” Act—which reformed criminal law by making sexual consent central in determining cases of assault, in an attempt to define all forms of non-consensual sex as rape.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be posted soon.
Please refresh the page to get the full version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on your smartphone or tablet via Sky News application. You can also follow along @Sky News on X Or subscribe to our website YouTube channel To keep up with the latest news.
