Dani Alves wins appeal after Spanish court overturns his rape conviction

The fullback was sentenced to four and a half years before getting bail.

A Spanish court overturned the conviction of Dani Alves’ rape sentence after finding lack of evidence. There were “inconsistencies and contradictions” in the initial decision, according to the top court in Catalonia, Spain.

Alves, ex-Barcelona and Brazil star, was convicted in February 2024 of raping a lady in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.

In March 2024, he was freed on €1 million bail until the hearing of his appeal after being sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Throughout the three-day trial, Alves insisted that his sex with the woman was consensual and denied any misconduct. The court has lifted the travel prohibition, allowing Alves to depart the country.

The appeals court’s judges unanimously decided to reverse his conviction, stating that the purported victim’s testimony was untrustworthy.

According to the report, the three magistrates overseeing the case discovered “a series of gaps, imprecisions, inconsistencies and contradictions in the facts, judicial assessment and their consequences.” The case is now regarded as resolved because there is “insufficient evidence” to disprove Alves’ presumption of evidence.

The initial sentence was challenged by public prosecutors, who demanded that Alves serve nine years in prison.

A 12-year sentence was sought by private prosecutors on behalf of the lady who accused him of the January 30, 2022, attack at Barcelona’s Sutton Nightclub. When she testified behind a screen, she said he had pushed himself on her.

Additionally, they mentioned that she denied a sexual act had occurred, which DNA testing had confirmed “with very high probability” had occurred.

The judges came to the conclusion that the initial trial did not meet the requirements of the presumption of innocence.

Alves won numerous championships while playing for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus during his illustrious club and international career. In addition, the defender helped Brazil win an Olympic gold medal and two Copa America championships. In 2022, Alves participated in his third World Cup.

When Alves was detained while playing for the Mexican team Pumas, the team chose to terminate his contract.

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