Kirsty Mckenzie
SPANISH footballer Santi Mina has told a court in Almeria that a woman he is accused of sexually assaulting consented to sex with him.
Mina, who has played for Celta Vigo and Valencia, rejected the allegation he forced himself on to the woman without her consent.
He told the court that it was ‘a consensual sexual relationship’ as the trial began on Monday.
The woman has accused the 26-year-old forward of attacking her at a caravan in Mojacar, Almeria in June 16th, 2017.
The striker is accused of sexual assault alongside another footballer David Goldar in an incident that occurred while the pair were on vacation while Mina was still part of the Valencia squad, where he played between 2015 and 2019.
A prison sentence of eight years is being requested for Mina.
In addition to the prison sentence, the prosecutor is asking that the judge impose a probation measure on Mina for a period of ten years that would prohibit him from coming within 500 meters, or communicating with, the victim.
Goldar has accused Mina of being the main aggressor while Mina has claimed his former friend was a ‘necessary cooperator’.
Celta is awaiting to see the result of the trial and, for now, is presuming the complete innocence of their player.
Carlo Mourino, the club’s owner, has a zero-tolerance policy regarding misdeeds, however, so if he is found guilty – even if he doesn’t earn a sentence – it’s unlikely he’ll remain at the club.
The striker will spend the week in the Third Section of the Provincial Court of Almeria.
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