Former Brazilian right-back Dani Alves was sentenced on Thursday February 22 to a four and a half year prison sentence for the rape in 2022 of a young woman in a nightclub in Barcelona, the Catalan city’s court announced. The events took place on the night of December 30 to 31, 2022 in the toilets of a VIP room at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona.
“The victim did not consent and there is evidence which, beyond the testimony of the complainant, allows the rape to be considered proven”wrote the court in a press release.
The prosecution had requested nine years in prison against the former FC Barcelona and Paris-Saint-Germain player. Dani Alves was also ordered to pay 150,000 euros to the victim and five years of supervised release once his sentence is served. During the trial, the latter refuted any form of violence against the complainant.
Dani Alves has changed versions several times
In pre-trial detention for a year, the 40-year-old former Brazilian international defended himself by asserting that the complainant had not “at no time (…) said anything” to go away. “If she wanted to leave, she could leave at any time, she didn’t have to be there”added the former right-back, affirming that he was not “not a violent man”.
“If at any point (the woman) says ‘no further’, it’s ‘no further’. Mr. Alves cannot continue if the victim does not give consent”replied the prosecutor, who estimated that the young woman had “did what she could”. “The court considers as proven the fact that the accused suddenly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the ground and penetrated her vaginally, preventing her from moving, while the complainant said no and wanted go away “added the court in its judgment.
Suffering, according to the public prosecutor, from a “generally high intensity post-traumatic stress”, the victim had testified behind closed doors, in order to protect his identity, and behind a screen to avoid any visual contact with Alves. His voice had been altered and his face pixelated on the recording, intended for the exclusive use of judges, in case it leaked.
Dani Alves’ defense had also been weakened by numerous changes of version. After claiming in a video at the beginning of January 2023 that he had never met the complainant, he justified his lie by explaining that he wanted to protect his marriage, before ending up admitting a sexual relationship with the complainant, according to him, consensual.