BARCELONA, Spain: Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves went on trial Monday, a 12 months after he was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl at a Barcelona nightclub.
The 40-12 months-previous Alves, a former Barcelona participant, has been in pre-trial custody for over a 12 months since he was detained for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl on the night time of Dec. 31, 2022. He denies any wrongdoing.
State prosecutors are in search of a 9-12 months jail sentence for Alves if convicted whereas the attorneys representing his accuser need 12 years.
Dressed in a white costume shirt and denims, Alves took a seat within the courtroom after arriving in a police van. His mom was additionally current on the Barcelona courthouse. After a brief recess when the courtroom was emptied, Alves’ mom blew her son a kiss and made a coronary heart-formed gesture as Alves was escorted in handcuffs again inside.
The court docket ordered the accuser’s testimony on Monday be behind closed doorways with no media entry and no picture of her may be taken to guard her identification. That choice got here after a video circulated on social media final month that allegedly recognized the girl.
A display screen was positioned between the accuser and Alves when she testified and the court docket ordered the video recording of her testimony be pixelated and her voice distorted as preventative measures to make sure her privateness in case of a leak.
In testimony given to state prosecutors final 12 months, the girl mentioned she met Alves late on the Sutton nightclub in considered one of Barcelona’s upscale neighborhoods after midnight. She accompanied him right into a VIP space and into a non-public rest room the place he allegedly slapped her, used insulting language and raped her, in response to her testimony given to prosecutors.
“My client has finally been able to testify and put an end to this,” the girl’s lawyer, Ester Garcia, advised reporters outdoors the courthouse afterwards. “She has been very brave to get this far.”
García added that an try by Alves’ authorized staff to achieve a deal so he might keep away from the trial had not prospered since her shopper “did not agree with sentence” proposed for the participant. She refused to disclose the main points of what Alves’ staff supplied.
Two girls, a pal and a cousin, who accompanied the girl to the nightclub testified that after they noticed her after she exited the lavatory she was distraught and advised them that Alves had “hurt her badly.” Workers on the nightclub additionally gave testimony.
Alves will testify on Wednesday, the trial’s final day.
Before he was indicted by an investigative choose in August, Alves’ attorneys unsuccessfully tried to discredit testimony by his accuser and different witnesses by presenting safety digital camera footage from the nightclub. The court docket has mentioned that any alleged flirting mustn’t “in any way justify an eventual sexual assault.”
Alves has modified his protection a number of occasions.
At first, he denied having ever seen the girl when he went dancing on the night time in query.
Upon his arrest, he denied any sexual contact along with her, solely to confess three months later to a sexual encounter that he mentioned was consented to by the girl. He mentioned he had been attempting to save lots of his marriage by not admitting to the sexual encounter initially.
In the one interview Alves has given since his arrest, he advised Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia in June that “my conscience is clear about what happened that early morning. … What happened and what did not happen. And what did not happen is that I forced that woman to do what we did.”
Alves, whose authorized title is Daniel Alves, has modified attorneys 3 times. At the trial he’s represented by Inés Guardiola, who was employed in October.
Alves was arrested on Jan. 20, 2023 after answering a police summons throughout a go to to Spain. A court docket ordered him to be jailed after analyzing the preliminary police investigation and listening to testimony from the alleged sufferer, witnesses and the participant himself.
Three days after his arrest, Alves was transferred by officers for security causes to the Brians 2 jail about 45 minutes northwest of Barcelona. He has been there ever since.
Alves’ requests for bail have been denied as a result of the court docket thought-about him a flight threat, regardless of his supply at hand over his passport and put on a monitoring gadget. Brazil doesn’t extradite its personal residents when they’re sentenced in different nations.
The trial is earlier than a 3-choose panel presided over by Justice of the Peace Isabel Delgado. Twenty-two witnesses, together with these referred to as by the protection, are scheduled for Tuesday earlier than the court docket hears Alves, together with specialists, on Wednesday.
Under Spain’s 2022 sexual consent legislation, the crime of sexual assault takes in a big selection of crimes from on-line abuse and groping to rape, every with totally different potential punishments. A case of rape can carry a most sentence of 15 years.
Alves has been ordered to put aside 150,000 euros ($162,000) to pay his alleged sufferer if he’s discovered responsible and ordered to pay damages.
Alves’ arrest shattered his picture of a charismatic winner with a prolonged and profitable profession.
He gained main titles with elite golf equipment together with Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. He additionally helped Brazil win two Copa Americas and an Olympic gold medal at age 38. He performed at his third World Cup, the one main title he’s not gained, in 2022.
The proper again was a key a part of Barcelona’s golden years whereas enjoying from 2008-16. He gained the Champions League 3 times with the Catalan membership, which he briefly rejoined in 2022.
Alves’ contract with Mexican membership Pumas was terminated instantly after his arrest.
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Videojournalist Hernán Muñoz contributed to this report.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
