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Former Brazil footballer Dani Alves sentenced to four and a half years in Spain
A court found him guilty of raping a woman in the bathroom of a Spanish nightclub
Former Barcelona and Brazil star Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty of rape. The disgraced 40-year-old father of two was convicted of sexual assault following a trial at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial court on Thursday February 22. Alves has steadfastly denied the charges, insisting that the sexual encounter was consensual, but the court found him guilty based on testimony from the 23-year-old victim and other witnesses.
Shielded from her attacker, the victim recounted how Alves forced himself on her in the bathroom of an upscale Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022. A friend who was with the victim at the time broke down as she described how the victim was crying uncontrollably after the incident.
The three judges presiding over the trial considered it proven that Alves “grabbed hold of the victim, threw her on the ground and prevented her from moving while he penetrated her, despite her saying ‘no’ and insisting she wanted to leave.”
State prosecutors had initially sought a nine-year prison sentence for Alves, while a private prosecutor representing the victim requested a 12-year term. Alves plans to appeal the verdict.
He has been held on remand at Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona since his arrest in January last year. With his conviction, Alves becomes a registered sex offender and faces the possibility of spending the next four and a half years behind bars.
“The court also ordered him to stay away from his victim for nine-and-a-half years and determined he should pay his victim 150,000 euros in damages.
“The sentence says it has been proved the victim did not consent and there is proof supporting the victim’s testimony to consider the rape has been proven,” a judicial source added.
Speaking outside the court after the footballer was jailed, his lawyer Ines Guardiola said: “All I can say at the moment is we are going to appeal the sentence and I still believe in the innocence of Mr Alves. He’s doing okay.”
Image: UEFA
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