Dani Alves has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for rape, with the incident occuring in late December 2022. The former footballer was arrested in January 2023 and has been held in prison pretrial ever since. Now, the court has ruled that the event was not consensual and that Alves did sexually assault the victim.
“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 statement said.
Dani Alves sentenced to four and a half years in prison
The decision against the former Barcelona player was “considered proven that the accused abruptly grabbed the plaintiff, threw her to the floor and prevented her from moving” to carry out the sexual assault.
The court has also ordered Dani Alves to pay €150,000 to the woman in question as damages. Ines Guardiola, Alves’ lawyer, said that they would appeal the decision further.
The prosecutors were looking for a nine-year prison sentence for the footballer. But Alves has been ordered to a five-year period of supervised freedom after his prison sentence, as part of the court’s ruling. He is also forbidden from going within one kilometre of the woman and is not allowed to contact her for nine years.
Dani Alves pleaded that he didn’t commit the crime, and that even though he invited the woman into a VIP washroom, nothing of the sort happened. He also added that he “isn’t that type of a person” to commit such a heinous crime.
In light of the court’s ruling, his legacy as one of the most decorated footballers of all-time has been left tarnished. The former footballer joins a growing list of high profile players who have committed crimes against women such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood and Antony.
