The verdict in the Dani Alves case has been reached. The former FC Barcelona professional received a four and a half year prison sentence for sexual aggression.
Dani Alves am 5. Februar vor Gericht. IMAGO/EFE Agency
The verdict was announced on Thursday by the Court of Section 12 of the Audiencia de Barcelona. The trial ended on February 7th after three long days of negotiations, and the verdict has now been reached 15 days later. In addition to the prison sentence, Dani Alves received a further five years of probation, must stay away from the victim for nine years and six months and pay 150,000 euros in compensation.
Dani Alves has been in custody since January 20, 2023. The court found it proven that the Brazilian sexually assaulted a woman in a private room of a nightclub in Barcelona on the night of December 30th to 31st, 2022. The former professional initially denied any sexual contact and later claimed that the relationships were consensual. The prosecutor stuck to her statement.
The public prosecutor had demanded nine years in prison for the 40-year-old, while the private prosecutor had demanded a maximum of twelve years. The defense first requested an acquittal and then a reduced sentence, which was justified by Alves’ high level of alcohol consumption on the night of the crime. Alves’ wife testified in court that her husband came home very drunk.
Multiple appeal options for Alves
However, the case is not yet completely closed. After the decision of the Supreme Court of Barcelona, the defense can still appeal to the Supreme Court of Catalonia and then to the Supreme Court of Spain. Provisional release has so far been systematically rejected by the court because there is a high risk that the player will go into hiding using his assets. In addition, there is no extradition treaty with his home country of Brazil.
Sea Brand More than 270 journalists were accredited for the three sessions of the court in Barcelona and were able to follow the trial via a closed television system. More than two dozen witnesses and experts were heard. Two of the young woman’s companions as well as police officers, doctors and nightclub employees said that the young woman was “in shock” after the incident.
In Spain, the principle “Solo Si es Si”, i.e. “Only a yes is a yes”, has been in effect since May 2022. Only clear consent from both parties legalizes sexual contact; anything else is rape.