On Thursday, a Spanish court handed down a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence to former Barcelona footballer Dani Alves for the rape of a young woman at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.
Additionally, the court mandated a five-year probation period following his incarceration and required him to pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the victim.
“The victim did not consent and there is evidence that, beyond the complainant’s testimony, permits the rape to be considered proven,” the Barcelona court wrote in a statement.
“The court considers as proven the fact that the defendant abruptly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the ground and penetrated her vaginally, preventing her from moving, while the complainant said no and wanted to leave.”
Prosecutors had requested a nine-year prison term followed by 10 years of probation for the 40-year-old. Dani Alves, who asserted during his trial that the encounter with the woman was consensual, retains the option to appeal.
A celebrated footballer with stints at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, Alves faced trial earlier this month over allegations of raping a woman at the Sutton nightclub on December 31, 2022.
Testifying behind a screen to protect her identity, the accuser recounted how Alves allegedly forcefully engaged in sexual activity with her in a private bathroom despite her pleas to stop, causing her significant distress, according to prosecutors.
A friend who accompanied her broke down in tears while describing how the victim was deeply upset after leaving the bathroom, stating that Alves had caused her considerable harm.
Throughout the three-day trial, Alves maintained his presence in court and refuted allegations of violence, asserting that the encounter was consensual and denying any physical aggression.
“I am not that type of man, I am not violent,” he told the court after his defence lawyer asked if he had forced her to have sex.
“If she wanted to leave, she could have left, she was not obligated to be there,” he added.
Alves’ friend who accompanied him that evening testified that the footballer consumed wine and whisky before heading to the nightclub.
His 31-year-old wife, Joana Sanz, informed the court on Tuesday that upon his return to their Barcelona residence that night, he seemed heavily intoxicated. She expressed reluctance to engage with him due to his inebriated condition.
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