Rape Case: Dani Alves bags 4years-six month’s jail term
Brazil international and former Barcelona star Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Spanish nightclub.
Alves was told he had been found guilty Thursday morning at Barcelona court, where he stood trial earlier this month after being driven to court in a police van.
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The 40-year-old father of two now faces his first night behind bars as a convicted sex offender.
Dani Alves family leaving the court earlier this month during the trial.
He had been detained in Brians 2 prison, near the Catalan capital, since his arrest in January last year.
Alves protested his innocence on February 7 after taking the stand on the final day of his three-day trial at the Barcelona Provincial Court
Prosecutors had been pushing for a 12-year prison sentence for the 40-year-old Brazilian after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Spanish nightclub in 2022.
He admitted having sex in a bathroom at Barcelona’s exclusive Sutton nightclub on December 30, 2022, with his 23-year-old accuser, but insisted it was consensual.
The woman confirmed that Alves had forced himself on her when she gave evidence in court behind her screen.
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A friend who was with her the night of the rape burst into tears when she remembered how the victim “wept uncontrollably” after leaving the small bathroom where she was.
State prosecutors had demanded a nine-year prison sentence if Alves was convicted and a private prosecutor acting on behalf of the victim demanded a 12-year prison sentence at his trial.
At the height of his career, Alves was considered one of the best right-backs in the world after a successful spell as a footballer that saw him win a total of 41 trophies with Barcelona, PSG and Juventus.