The trial of former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star Dani Alves, accused of rape by a young woman, ended in Barcelona on Wednesday evening, February 7. Prosecutors had requested a nine-year prison term, with judges expected to take weeks to reach a verdict.
The former Brazilian international says he is innocent. He claimed to have had consensual sex and denied any violence against the complainant during his closing statement.
This version did not agree with the prosecutor, who on Monday completed her indictment considering the prosecutor’s submission that she had testified in camera. “A very believable story” From the beginning of the investigation, and it was shown by Dani Alves “violence” To the girl. She accused him of raping her on the night of December 30 to 31, 2022, in the toilet of the VIP room of the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona.
Handcuffed, wearing a white sweater and glasses, the 40-year-old former player defended himself by claiming that prosecutors “At some point (…) say anything” to go away. “If she wants to leave, she can leave anytime, she doesn’t have to be there”Added the former right-back, assuring he wasn’t “Not a violent man”.
A plea for nine years in prison
In pre-trial detention for a little over a year, he has contested the facts from the start of the case, but his defense has been weakened by numerous changes to his version. After claiming in a video in early January 2023 that he had never met the complainant, he justified his lie by explaining that he wanted to protect his marriage, before admitting to what he said was consensual sexual relations with the complainant.
At the end of the trial, the public prosecutor maintained his demands: nine years in prison for the footballer, as well as a payment of 150,000 euros to the girl and ten years of supervised release after her release from prison.
“If at some point, (wife) Says “no further”, it is “no further”. If the victim does not consent, Mr. Alves cannot continue”The prosecutor, who estimated that the young woman was underlined “She did what she could”.
Alves’ lawyer, for her part, urged her client to be acquitted, arguing that he could not. “Learn that the complainant has withdrawn her consent”.
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According to the allegation, Alves, who was in Barcelona after participating in the World Cup in Qatar, was at the nightclub with a friend. After offering champagne to the complainant, his cousin and a friend, he allegedly invited her to dance, then to accompany him to an adjoining room with a toilet. Alves then allegedly forced her to have sex, according to the prosecution’s description “State of Anxiety and Terror” For a young woman.
Symptoms of post-traumatic syndrome
This version was corroborated by a friend and cousin of the complainant on Monday. She “was crying a lot” And Alves wanted to leave the nightclub saying he had set him up “too much trouble”, his friend said. According to the cousin, the girl goes out “barely from home” from seizures and taking antidepressants.
For her part, the prosecutor testified Monday behind closed doors to protect her identity, sheltering behind a screen to avoid any visual contact with Alves. Her voice was altered and her face was pixelated on the recording, intended for the exclusive use of the judges in case it was leaked. On Wednesday, a psychologist who saw the victim months after the incident confirmed that she had symptoms of post-traumatic syndrome.
A friend who accompanied Alves during this evening and the player’s wife insisted on the drunken state of the accused on Tuesday. He “smell of alcohol” And “When he entered the room, he bumped into several pieces of furniture and fell on the bed” Before going to sleep, said Joanna Saenz.
One of the most successful footballers in history, Dani Alves enjoyed the most glorious period of his career at Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, where he won twenty-three trophies. The player, who also played for Sevilla (Spain), Juventus Turin (Italy) and Paris Saint-Germain, was playing for Mexican club Pumas at the time of his imprisonment. The club, with whom he was under contract until the end of last season, immediately fired him.
