Brazilian footballer Dani Alves has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub. The three-judge jury at the Barcelona court sentenced Alves to four years and six months. The 40-year-old athlete denied any wrongdoing during his three-day trial this month. The sentence can be appealed.
Judges ruled that Alves sexually assaulted the woman in the early morning of December 31, 2022. The girl reported being raped in the bathroom of an exclusive nightclub in Barcelona.
Prosecutors had asked for a nine-year prison sentence for the footballer, while lawyers representing the woman were aiming for a 12-year sentence. The defense had instead asked for the athlete’s acquittal or, in case of conviction, a one-year sentence plus compensation of 50,000 euros for the victim.
Alves has been in prison since his arrest on January 20, 2023. His requests to be released on bail were rejected because the court deemed him a flight risk.
Brazil does not proceed with the extradition of its citizens when they are convicted in other countries.
Alves’ lawyer: we will appeal against conviction
The lawyer of the footballer Dani Alves, Inés Guardiola, has declared that they will appeal against the ruling of the Barcelona court which found the athlete guilty of raping a woman in a nightclub in the Catalan city and sentenced him to four and a half years of prison. The judges also ordered Alves to pay 150,000 euros in compensation to the woman, banning him from approaching her home or place of work and communicating with her by any means for nine years.