Rapist ex-Man City star Robinho LOSES appeal to reduce 9-year prison sentence after spending 6 months in tiny cell

DISGRACED footballer Robinho has lost his appeal to spend less time in prison once again after spending six months in a minuscule cell.

The ex-Man City ace is serving nine years in a hellhole Brazilian jail for rape, where he plays ball with murderers and fellow rapists.

Robinho was one of a group of six men convicted of sexually assaulting an Albanian woman in a club in 2013.

Italy issued an international arrest warrant for the player, but the former Premier League star managed to dodge jail for seven years while living in Sao Paulo.

Following his arrest in March, the millionaire was taken from his seafront luxury home in Santos and spent his first 10 days in prison in full isolation.

Robinho, who has an estimated £60million net worth, has since been transferred to a tiny 8m squared cell, which he shares with another inmate.

Used to living in a lavish mansion in Manchester back in his glory days, the mini concrete block is what the Brazilian will now call home for the better part of a decade.

But the player’s defence does not seem to settle for that as lawyers have once again requested to reduce Robinho’s crime from “heinous” to “common”.

In Brazil, rape is considered a heinous crime, which is does not qualify for appeals such as bail.

This, in practice, could reduce Robinho’s time in prison.

A first request was made by the footballer’s defence in July, but was denied by Brazilian courts, outlet Portal Leo Dias reports.

In the Brazilian justice system, a convicted criminal can appeal multiple times to try to reduce their sentence or change the classification of their crime, such as reclassifying a heinous crime to a common one.

The process starts with a basic appeal to a higher court, and if that fails, they can take the case to even higher courts like the Superior Court of Justice or the Supreme Federal Court.

These higher courts focus on legal issues or constitutional matters, not the facts of the case.

There are also specific types of appeals that can be used to clarify or challenge previous rulings.

A person can also file for Habeas Corpus if they believe they are being unlawfully detained, which can also be used to argue for reclassification of the crime.

But each appeal must meet certain legal criteria, and not all appeals are accepted.

The process can be long, and once all possible appeals are exhausted, the decisions become final.

FALL FROM GRACE

Meanwhile, the former footie ace is said to be pursuing a new career behind bars – as a TV repairman.

The millionaire con is learning how to fix TVs, radios and other household electrical goods in a prison work programme.

The programme is designed to teach inmates new skills in preparation for their future release.

Robinho’s lawyer, Mario Rosso Vale, says the ex-player has been a model prisoner since being jailed in March.

He told SunSport: “Robinho is keeping his head down and quietly getting on with it… he is being an exemplary inmate and has had no issues with other prisoners.

“They even gave him some football boots, once he was integrated, to join in the games during recreation time.

“He is keeping himself occupied. He has signed up for a basic electronics course learning how to repair TVs and radios. He has to do 600 hours of remote learning to qualify in this area.”

Robinho has now spent six months in the hellish prison of Tremembé, where he plays ball with inmates who make toilet cleaner.

Inside his tiny shared cell, Robinho has only one single bed, a small sink and a toilet built into the floor.

And a barred up window will provide just a glimpse of the outside world.

There, the footballer is set to be under observation by guards and made to do tests by doctors, psychologists and social workers.

While in the cell all activities are isolated and he will be given four meals each day – the first being at 6am and the last at 5.30pm.

The convicted rapist has also been allowed to participate in physical activities with other prisoners, having already taken part in a football match.

All 430 inmates inside the hellhole jail are made to wear matching outfits of a white t-shirt and khaki pants – a far cry from Robinho’s typical football kit.

According to CNN, the former AC Milan player was even gifted a boot by fellow prisoners as he waits to get a job at the penitentiary unit.

Brazil’s prisons have earned the nickname “hell on earth” and for good reason as captives have been found decapitated after horrific attacks, with drug warlords calling the shots.

The country’s jails have infamously bad living conditions, with overcrowding, violence, severe punishments, and gang battles among the many issues the underfunded facilities face.

Harrowing photographs show hundreds of inmates jammed into a single cell, laying head-to-toe across the floor.

CLAIMS OF INNOCENCE

Robinho has previously claimed his innocence as accused the Italian justice system of “racism”, saying the encounter in 2013 was “consensual”.

He told a Brazilian network TV Record on Sunday: “I hope that here in Brazil I can have the voice that I didn’t have there.”

“I never denied it (the encounter). I could have denied it because my DNA was not there, but I’m not a liar.

“I played for four years in Italy and I got tired of seeing stories about racism. The same people who do nothing about racism, which I repudiate, are the ones who condemned me.”

Robinho played for clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester City and AC Milan, and signed a contract in 2020 to return to his first club in Brazil, Santos.

However, the deal almost immediately fell apart after sponsors reportedly threatened to cut ties with the club for signing a player convicted of rape.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk