The Barcelona prosecutor’s office is also appealing the sentence and is asking for an increase in the Brazilian player’s sentence
Dani Alves, who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for raping a girl in a toilet at the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona in December 2022, has filed an appeal against the sentence. The footballer maintains that he had consensual sexual relations with the victim and that the compensation of 150,000 euros he paid cannot be used to reduce his sentence. This has been argued by his defense, which is asking for his acquittal.
But the prosecutor’s office in Barcelona does not agree with this interpretation and has also appealed the sentence. The public ministry considers that the penalty imposed on the player is insufficient and that the compensation cannot be a mitigating factor. The prosecution alleges that this amount could be discriminatory because it favors the defendant due to his economic situation. According to the prosecutor’s office, this mitigation of damages allowed the Barcelona Court to apply the minimum penalty for sexual assault according to the law in force when the events occurred.
The victim also appeals the sentence and refuses the compensation
The girl who reported Dani Alves for rape has also filed an appeal against the sentence. The private accusation filed by the victim asks that the penalty for the footballer be increased and that his right to fair compensation be recognized. The victim has not accepted the 150,000 euros that the player paid as bail when he was prosecuted, under the threat of seizure. Both the prosecutor’s office and the private prosecution objected to the application of this mitigation of reparation during the trial, understanding that it was an arbitrary amount set by the investigating judge.
The sentence was swift and forceful
The sentence that condemned Dani Alves for sexual assault was handed down only fifteen days after the end of the trial, in which the court considered it proven that the victim did not consent to the events and that he forced her. In addition to the four and a half years in prison, the court also imposed five years of supervised release and a ban on approaching and communicating with the victim for nine and a half years.
