Ben Pawlowski
FOOTBALLER Dani Alves is set to be released from jail just 4 weeks after being handed a four-and-a-half year prison sentence by a court in Barcelona for the rape of a young woman in a nightclub in 2022.
The Brazilian, 40, will be conditionally released from jail pending an appeal against his rape conviction and the posting of a bail worth €1million.
Last month, Alves was convicted of raping a young woman in the toilets of the VIP Sutton nightclub in Barcelona in the early hours of December 31, 2022.
The court considered it proven that “the defendant roughly grabbed the complainant, threw her to the ground and, preventing her from moving, penetrated her vaginally, despite the fact that the complainant said no, and she wanted to leave”.
In their closing statement, the judge said: “This fulfills an absence of consent, with the use of violence, and with carnal access”.
A friend of the victim, who remained anonymous throughout the court proceedings, testified that she was in a state of ‘shock’ after fleeing the bathroom where the sexual assault happened.
A tearful Alves, widely regarded as one of the greatest right backs in football history, told the court that the victim “never told me to stop” during their encounter.
As part of the verdict of the high-profile trial, Alves was also ordered to pay €150,000 in compensation to the 23-year old victim and not approach her for a period of nine-and-a-half years.
The jail sentence given to Alves was deemed lenient by some, with public prosecutors having demanded nine years in prison and Alves’ accuser wanting 12.
However, since Alves has remained in custody since January 2023, lawyers representing the former Barcelona right-back have argued that he has already served a quarter of his sentence, and therefore is entitled to prison leave.
In order to be released, Alves must hand in his Brazilian and Spanish passports so that he cannot leave Spain, as well as appear in front of the court every week.
The court also imposed a restraining order, preventing the disgraced footballer from contacting the victim.
The decision comes just one day after Alves pleaded with the court for him to be bailed, insisting: “I’m not going to run away, I believe in justice”.
The verdict can still be appealed.
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