Former Brazilian footballer Dani Alves sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for rape. football news

A Spanish court on Thursday sentenced former Brazil international Dani Alves to four and a half years in prison after finding him guilty of raping a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022. It also ordered five years of probation for the three-time Champions League winner. after serving his prison sentence, and demanded he pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the victim. “The victim did not consent and there is evidence that, beyond the testimony of the complainant, allows rape to be considered proven,” the Barcelona court wrote in a statement.

“The court finds proven fact that the defendant suddenly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the ground and penetrated her vagina, preventing her from moving, while the complainant said no and wanted to leave.”

Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison sentence for the 40-year-old, followed by 10 years of probation.

Alves, who testified at his trial that the sex with the woman was consensual, may appeal.

Alves, one of the world’s most iconic footballers who played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain during his illustrious career, was charged earlier this month with raping a woman at a Sutton nightclub on the morning of December 31, 2022. The case went on.

Her accuser – who testified behind the scenes to protect her identity – said Alves had violently forced her to have sex in a private bathroom at the nightclub while she begged him to let her go , which caused him “pain and fear”. Prosecutors.

A friend who was with her had tears in her eyes as she told the court how the victim was “crying uncontrollably” after leaving the bathroom, saying Alves had “really hurt” her.

‘Could have left’

Police officers attending to the woman told the court about the victim’s nervousness and state of “shock” when she arrived at the nightclub, as well as her concern that if she lodged a complaint “nobody would believe her”. Will not do”.

Alves, who was present in court during his three-day trial, testified that his sex with the woman was consensual and he denied hitting her and grabbing her hair.

Asked by defense counsel whether he had forced her to have sex, he told the court, “I’m not that kind of man, I’m not violent.”

“If she wanted to go, she could, she was under no obligation to stay there,” he said.

Alves’ friend who was with him that night testified that the footballer had drank wine and whiskey before going to the nightclub.

His wife Joanna Sanz, 31, told the court on Tuesday that he seemed very drunk when he returned to their Barcelona home that night and she did not want to speak to him because of “the state he was in”.

the story changed

Alves, who comes from a poor family in Juazeiro, Bahia state, Brazil, initially denied knowing the woman in a TV interview but later admitted to having sex with her, saying it was consensual. . He told La Vanguardia newspaper in June that he had lied because he feared his wife would leave him.

The player has been in custody since being arrested in Barcelona in January 2023. His requests to be released on bail have been repeatedly rejected by the courts, which have considered him a flight risk due to his wealth.

Brazil does not extradite its citizens for sentencing in other countries.

Alves is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time, winning 42 trophies during his highly successful career.

The peak of his career was with Barcelona between 2008 and 2016 when he won 23 trophies. At the time of his arrest, he was contracted to Mexican club Pumas UNAM. He was dismissed soon after being detained.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)