A former professional athlete has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault.
A former professional athlete has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison for sexual assault. Dani Alves, 40, gained a following as a soccer star representing both Barcelona and Brazil. Alves was arrested by local police in January 2023 following the investigation of a nightclub sexual assault in Barcelona.
Allegedly, Alves sexually assaulted a 23-year-old woman at the Sutton nightclub on the night of December 30, 2022. The court witnessed numerous gripping testimonies made by the alleged victim, employees from the nightclub, and medical experts. Alves’ defense team requested that he testify last on the final day of the trial.
During the woman’s testimony, the jury considered flooring evidence. They learned that she allegedly danced with Alves and “willingly entered the bathroom,” but that “when she wanted to leave he would not let her… He slapped her, insulted her and raped her.” She suffered a knee injury after Alves “pushed her to the floor,” and later experienced traumatic aftereffects.
“I am not that type of man. We were both enjoying ourselves.” Alves said.
Over the course of the investigation, however, Alves admittedly provided police with false information. At first, he stated that he did not know the woman accusing him. He later confessed that he had met the woman in the bathroom of the night club but denied claims of sexual penetration. Alves claimed that the young woman had only “performed oral sex on him.”
In later testimonies, after the presentation of DNA evidence, he claimed that penetration did occur consensually. Alves stated that his reason for being untruthful was “an attempt to preserve his marriage.”
The former soccer player was found guilty on Thursday morning. He was sentenced to five years of “supervised freedom upon release,” and has already paid over $162,000 to the victim. As a result of this ruling, Alves cannot communicate with the survivor for nine and a half years or be in her physical presence.
Alves' lawyer, Inés Guardiola, maintains her client’s innocence.
David Saenz, a prominent member of the survivor’s prosecution, said: “We are not satisfied with the sentence. We have to consider whether the severity of the sentence is commensurate with the gravity of the facts that have now been proven.”
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
