- Brazilian footballer Dani Alves has been found guilty of rape.
- The verdict was four and a half years in prison and 150,000 euros in compensation.
- The court announced this on Thursday in the regional court of Barcelona in the presence of the defendant, as the state TV station RTVE reported.
“The victim did not consent and there is evidence that goes beyond the complainant’s statement and allows the rape to be considered proven,” said the Supreme Court of Catalonia in its ruling. Alves wants to appeal, a lawyer said.
The prosecution had even demanded nine years in prison and ten more years of probation, while Alves’ defense had pleaded for acquittal. The crime occurred on the night of December 31, 2022. Since then, Alves has changed his version of events several times.
That night, Alves was at Sutton, a luxury nightclub in Catalonia’s metropolis. According to the court, he danced with an unknown woman, then took her into the exclusive area and finally disappeared with her into the toilets. Sexual abuse then occurred there. Camera images and semen traces served as evidence.
Legend: The public prosecutor’s office had demanded nine years in prison and also 150,000 euros in damages. The plaintiff’s lawyers wanted to send the footballer behind bars for twelve years. Keystone/ALBERTO ESTEVEZ
The woman, whose identity has been kept secret to this day, filed a complaint after an initial shock. On January 20, 2023, Alves appeared at the police hearing and has been behind bars since then. During his twelve months in prison, he changed his version from “I don’t know” to “she wanted it too” to “I had been drinking and was out of my mind.”
In Spain it has been called “Solo Si es Si” since May 2022 – only a yes is a yes. The core tenet of the new law means that only a clear yes from both sides will legalize sexual contact; anything else is rape.
Alves grew up in poor conditions in Juazeiro in the state of Bahia. In 2002, the powerful defender moved to Sevilla FC. Further stops in Europe’s top leagues for the 126-time national player were: Barca, Juventus Turin and PSG. Most recently he played in Mexico for UNAM Pumas. However, the contract was canceled after Alves was arrested in Barcelona.