Brazilian star footballer Dani Alves sentenced to 4.5 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual assault charges in nightclub case

Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves was convicted of sexual assault by the Catalonia Supreme Court on February 22, resulting in a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

The court mandated the 40-year-old to pay 150,000 euros ($162,990) in compensation to the plaintiff.

"The sentence considers that 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.

 

Throughout the trial, Alves consistently maintained that the encounter was consensual, but this argument failed to sway the court. Initially, prosecutors sought a nine-year sentence.

 

Alves arrested in 2022

 

Alves, a former Barcelona football team player, was arrested in early 2022 and has been in custody since then.

 

The incident garnered attention not only because of Alves' high-profile status but also because it resonated in Spain, where discussions about gender violence have become increasingly significant.

 

This case is among the most notable since Spain implemented legal reforms in 2022. These changes placed a greater emphasis on consent in sexual assault cases and increased the minimum prison sentence for assaults involving violence.

 

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Dani Alves sexual assault case: Timeline

The timeline of the Alves' sexual assault case began on December 9, 2022, when he returned to Spain after Brazil's World Cup exit.

 

On December 30, 2022, Alves and a friend visited the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona. That night, a 23-year-old woman accused Alves of sexually assaulting her in a private suite within the club. The incident reportedly took place after Alves invited the woman and her friends to join him, leading to the alleged assault in a small toilet within the suite.

 

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On January 1, 2023, Alves flew to Mexico to join his club team, Pumas UNAM. The woman filed an official complaint with the police on January 2, 2023. Following media reports of the investigation, Alves denied knowing the woman in a video message broadcast by the Spanish TV station Antena 3 on January 5.

 

Alves was arrested on January 20, 2023, and has remained in custody since then. Shortly after his arrest, Pumas UNAM terminated his contract.

 

The trial of Alves commenced on February 5, 2023, in Barcelona and was anticipated to conclude within three days. During the investigation and legal proceedings, Alves provided various explanations of the events, initially refuting the accusations and later acknowledging that he had lied to safeguard his marriage.

 

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