Courts

DISGRACED footballer Robinho has spent his first month in jail sharing a tiny 8m squared cell with murderers and fellow rapists. The ex-Man City millionaire was taken from his seafront luxury home in Santos to a hellish Brazilian prison where he plays ball with inmates who make toilet cleaner.Football star Robinho is now serving a nine year sentence for a gang-rape in Italy in 2013Credit: AFPHe has been sent to a chilling Brazilian prison in Tremembé alongside murderers and fellow rapistsCredit: Laurene Santos/TV VanguardaBrazilian jails are severely overcrowded with dozens of inmates living in one cellRobinho spent the first 10 days of his nine years in prison in full isolation as part of a standard adaptation period.The Brazilian, who has an estimated £60million net worth, was then transferred to a tiny 8m squared cell, which he shares with another inmate, CNN reports.Used to living in a lavish mansion in Manchester back in his glory days, the mini concrete block is what Robinho will now call home for the better part of a decade.The cell is said to have only one single bed, a small sink and a toilet built into the floor.Read more on RobinhoAnd a barred up window will provide just a glimpse of the outside world.Here Robinho 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.But the convicted rapist has now been allowed to participate in physical activities with other prisoners, having already taken part in a football match.Most read in FootballAll 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 awaits to get a job at the penitentiary unit.He will be expected to work during his time behind bars potentially making school desks and chairs or even toilet disinfectant tablets – something the P2 jail is known for.Court finds Ex-Man City star Robinho ‘brutally humiliated gang rape victim’Timeline of Robinho’s rape caseThe rape case involving Brazilian footballer Robinho spans several years. Here’s the complete timeline:

January 22, 2013: Robinho was one of a group of six men convicted of sexually assaulting an Albanian woman in a club during his stint for AC Milan.
2014: Brazilian media reported on the allegations against Robinho, but no formal charges were filed at that time.
2017: Robinho was found guilty of sexual assault by an Italian court and sentenced to nine years in prison. However, he denied the charges and appealed the verdict.
2020: After the appeal process, Robinho’s sentence was upheld by the Italian court. But due to the statute of limitations in Italy, he was not extradited to serve his sentence.
2022: Robinho’s prison sentence is ratified.
March 2023: Robinho surrendered his passport to authorities
November 2023: Italian prosecutors said they felt Robinho should serve his time in Brazil.
March 20, 2024: Brazil’s Superior Court formed a simple majority and voted for Robinho to serve the sentence in his home country.

Robinho was pictured in a police car being transported to his new home in jailCredit: EPARobinho being arrested following his sentencingCredit: Fábio Pires/TV TribunaInmates can also take acting lessons and participate in workshops on reading, literacy, and origami.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 innocenceRobinho 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 Robinho, but the former Premier League star managed to dodge jail for seven years while living in Sao Paulo.He says he is innocent and his defence team is filing an appeal against the decision by Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ), G1 reports.Robinho previously accused the Italian justice system of “racism” and said 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.”A Brazilian news outlet previously published audio recordings obtained by Italian authorities which included Robinho discussing the case with friends.In one clip he says: “We will punch her in her face. You will punch her in the face and say; ‘What did I do to you?'”And in another: “That is why I am laughing, I don’t care at all.”The girl was extremely drunk, she doesn’t even know who I am.”A further leaked conversation shows him saying: “If this comes out in the press, it will screw me.”READ MORE SUN STORIESRobinho 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.Robinho with his wife Vivian Guglielmetti Junits on their wedding dayCredit: ReutersThe former Man City star hasn’t played football since 2020Credit: Getty More