0
0
Dani Alves | Former Barcelona and Brazilian fullback was sentenced to four and a half years in jail for sexual assault.
Local police arrested Alves, 40, in January 2023 as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault at a Barcelona nightclub.
The Spanish public prosecutor’s office accused Alves of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman on the night of December 30, 2022, in Barcelona’s Sutton nightclub. He has continually disputed the charges brought against him.
Alves was found guilty on Thursday morning. He has also been sentenced to a further five years of’supervised’ freedom upon release, and he has already paid the victim €150,000 (£128k, $163k) in legal bills.
For nine years and six months, Alves is unable to interact with the victim or come within one km of her.
Dani Alves Punishment Announced
Spanish public prosecutors had sought a nine-year prison sentence for Alves.
“The ruling considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there are elements of evidence, in addition to the testimony of the complainant, to understand rape occurred,” according to a statement issued by the court.
David Saez, a member of the victim’s prosecution team, stated, “We are not satisfied with the sentence.”
“We have to consider whether the severity of the sentence is commensurate with the gravity of the facts that have now been proven.”
Alves, who played 408 matches for Barcelona over two periods and 126 times for Brazil, has been in detention since his arrest on January 20, 2023. He was kept in a prison to the northwest of Barcelona until his trial began on February 5.
The trial began with five witnesses: the accused victim, her companion, a cousin, a waiter, and the nightclub’s doorman. Alves’ defense team requested that he testify last, on the penultimate day of trial.
The following day, 21 witnesses took the stand. Among the most famous were Alves’ wife, Joana Sanz, and Bruno Brasil, the footballer’s buddy on the night in question.
On the final day of court, Wednesday, February 7, forensic, medical, and psychiatric specialists all testified. Alves spoke near the end of the hearings, asserting his right to be questioned solely by his counsel, not the claimed victim’s lawyer.
The following day, 21 witnesses took the stand. Among the most famous were Alves’ wife, Joana Sanz, and Bruno Brasil, the footballer’s buddy on the night in question.
