Ex Barcelona and Brazilian international footballer Dani Alves has been convicted of raping a woman in the restroom of a Barcelona nightclub in 2022. He was sentenced by a court in the Catalonia region of Spain to four years and six months in prison.
The court ordered Alves, to pay €150K to the victim.
“The sentence considers it has been proven that the victim did not consent, and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven,” the court said in a statement.
The length of Alves’ sentence is relatively lenient compared to the sentencing guidelines in Spain, where sexual assault convictions can lead to imprisonment for four to twelve years. Prosecutors had sought a nine-year sentence, while the victim advocated for the maximum term of twelve years.
The 40 years old Brazilian already spent over one year in prison on remand, and his stay will now be extended by four years and six months However, at least according to this report, it could have been much worse.
His lawyer Ines Guardiola told reporters outside the court that her legal team was going to appeal.
“I still believe Alves is innocent,” she said.”
