Sex

FORMER Barca star Dani Alves is planning to appeal the bombshell four-and-a-half years prison sentence he was handed this morning.The Brazilian defender, 40, was found guilty of raping a woman in the toilets of the nightclub Sutton on December 30, 2022.
Dani Alves appeared before court earlier this month and denied all the claimsCredit: Reuters
The footballer’s lawyer Ines Guardiola said they would be appealing the sentenceCredit: Reuters
The Brazilian defender has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prisonCredit: Reuters
As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao PauloCredit: AFP
Alves arrived at the Barcelona court this morningCredit: EPA
The Brazilian was summoned to court at 10am local timeCredit: EPA
He was ordered to pay £130,000 (150,000 euros) to the victim and stay away from her for nine-and-a-half-years.
“The sentence considers that it has been proven that the victim did not consent and that there is evidence, in addition to the testimony of the plaintiff, to consider the rape proven,” the court said in a statement.
Speaking outside the court, Alves’ lawyer Inés Guardiola said they were planning to appeal the sentence.
She told reporters: “Four-and-a-half years is much better than nine and 12 that the accusation requested, but we are going to appeal because I still believe in Mr Alves’ innocence. 
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“We are going to review the sentence, but I can tell you that we are going to appeal.
“We continue to believe in the innocence of Mr Alves. He already knows the sentence and is whole.
“We will defend his innocence to the end.”
State prosecutors were seeking nine years while the lawyers representing Alves’s accuser wanted 12 years.
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 Following the sentence, Alves headed back to Brians 2 prison near the Catalan capital.
In a trial held in Barcelona earlier this month, the footballer denied the allegations and said the encounter had been consensual. 
The trial, held at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court lasted three days with the alleged victim, witnesses, and experts testifying.
The Brazilian defender was accused of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.
He has previously confirmed he had sex with a woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
Alves has been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest in January 2023.
In a brief statement, the Barcelona court said Wednesday it had “summoned all parties in the Alves case, including the defendant, to appear in court for a so-called “notification procedure”.
His accuser told the prosecution that she had willingly entered the bathroom with him, but that he forced her to stay after she wanted to leave.
She claims that he was aggressive with her, slapping her and insulting her, and then forced her to have sex with him.
During the first day of the footballer’s trial a friend and cousin of his accuser claimed he also groped them in the VIP area.
The two women claim he then invited their friend, the alleged rape victim, to follow him through a separate door after flirting with her.
His ex-wife Joana Sanz told the court Alves “smelled of alcohol” and “he bumped into several pieces of furniture and collapsed on the bed” after arriving home the night of the assault.
Dani Alves’ model ex Joana Sanz arrives at court to reveal what ‘drunk’ ex-Barcelona star told her moments after ‘rape’
But she said she didn’t want to talk to him because of “the state he was in”.
Alves has made repeated bail requests but they have all been turned down, with judges saying his alleged victim’s version of events was coherent and pointing out Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
In an exclusive interview from his cell in Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona last June with Spanish TV he claimed: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.”
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As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He is widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time and became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
The defender was found guilty of raping a woman in the nightclub Sutton in Barcelona
The footballer apologised to his wife Joana after the bombshell claimsCredit: AFP
His ex-wife told the court he ‘smelled’ of alcohol after arriving home that nightTimeline of Dani Alves’ caseDecember 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub

January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona investigate an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves
January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’ alleged victim makes a formal complaint claiming she was sexually assaulted
CCTV footage shows Alves had been alone for 47 seconds in a toilet at the nightclub with his accuser
January 20, 2023: Alves is remanded in custody by a judge in Barcelona
He initially denies ever meeting his accuser but later confirms they had sex in the nightclub’s toilets – but insists was consensual
January 31, 2023: His wife Joana Sanz, 29, demands a divorce
February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
March 17, 2023: Alves goes on a hunger strike following split from wife
November 14, 2023: The footballer is ordered to stand trial for the alleged assault
November 24, 2023: Prosecutors demand nine years jail time and to pay the alleged victim  £130,000, if found guilty
February 5, 2024: Alves appears in court in Spain facing twelve years in jail
February 6 2024: Joana Sanz testified in court about a “drunk” phone call her husband made to her after the alleged assault
February 7 2024: Alves tells a Spanish court the encounter was consensual More

FORMER Barcelona star Dani Alves is set to appear in court this morning as he is facing a 12-year prison sentence for rape.The 40-year-old Brazilian defender was driven to court in a police van from Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona where he has been held on remand for more than a year.
Dani Alves is facing 12 years behind bars after he was accused of rapeCredit: AFP
The footballer appeared in court in Barcelona this morningCredit: Reuters
Prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000Credit: EPA
The footballer’s mum Lucia Alves arrived in court in Barcelona for his trialCredit: AFP
A van of Barcelona’s Mossos d’Esquadra arrives at the High Court of Justice of CataloniaCredit: AFP
Alves’s family speaking to a court official in BarcelonaCredit: AFP
Media outside the court ahead of Alves’s trialCredit: Rex
State prosecutors have said they wanted him jailed for nine years if convicted of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.
The dad-of-two has previously confirmed he had sex with a woman in the nightclub’s toilet but insisted it was consensual.
A lawyer acting for Alves’ female accuser, has called for him to face the maximum 12-year prison sentence if he is found guilty.
Both prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000.
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Failing an eleventh-hour plea bargain deal, the trial will start at 10am local time at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court and is scheduled to last for three days.
The three judges, who are sitting without a jury as is normal in Spain for sex crime cases, have around a fortnight to return their verdict once the trial ends and will announce their decision in a written ruling.
Alves, who can opt to take the stand on the last day, has insisted he had consensual sex with the woman who has accused him of forcing himself on her.
At first he had claimed to have never met the woman in question, before backtracking at a later date and saying the pair had consensual sex.
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It was also initially reported he had put his hands down a woman’s underwear in the club’s VIP area’s toilets, but it later emerged the 23-year-old was alleging she had been the victim of rape.
She has been given permission to testify behind-closed-doors.
Dani Alves’ estranged wife shares kiss with female pal on Instagram after ‘demanding divorce’ over star’s rape charges
Her cousin and a female friend who were with her the night of the alleged sex attack are among the witnesses called to give evidence along with waiters in the VIP area of Sutton’s where Alves met the woman whose accusations ended with his arrest and incarceration ahead of today’s trial.
Alves’ wife Joana Sanz will testify on behalf of the footballer following his pre-trial public apology to the model for “cheating on her” with the woman who claims he raped her.
The footballer was ordered to stand trial last November.
Initially, it was reported Alves had been accused of putting his hands down a woman’s underwear inside a toilet in the VIP area of Sutton nightclub before it emerged his alleged victim was saying she had been raped.
He was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest in Barcelona at the start of last year after he flew back to the Catalan capital to attend his mother-in-law’s funeral.
He has made repeated bail requests but they have all been turned down, with judges saying his alleged victim’s version of events was coherent and pointing out Alves had changed his story several times as the evidence authorities have against him has emerged.
Alves claimed before his arrest he had never met his female accuser but ended up backtracking after being held.
In an exclusive interview from his cell in Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona last June with Spanish TV and newspaper reporter Mayka Navarro, he claimed: “The only person I have to ask for forgiveness is my wife, Joana Sanz.”
As well as two spells at Barcelona, Alves has played for Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo.
He is widely considered one of the greatest full-backs of all time.
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He became the oldest player to represent Brazil at the World Cup in December 2022 in Qatar.
At the start of the year his mum Lucia Alves caused controversy and left herself open to future prosecution by naming and picturing her son’s rape accuser in a social media post she has now removed.
The dad-of-two is facing 12 years behind bars
He was accused of raping a woman in the toilets of Sutton nightclub in Barcelona
The Brazilian defender admitted having sex with a woman in the nightclub but insisted it was consensualCredit: PA:Press Association
He has publicly apologised to his wife Joana Sanz
Timeline of Dani Alves’s case
December 30, 2022: A woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in the toilets of Sutton nightclub
January 1, 2023: Cops in Barcelona are investigating an alleged sexual assault in a nightclub involving Dani Alves.
January 5, 2023: Dani Alves’s alleged victim makes a formal complaint claiming she was sexually assaulted
CCTV footage shows Alves had been alone for 47 seconds in a toilet at the nightclub with his accuser
January 20, 2023: Alves had been remanded in custody by a judge in Barcelona
He initially denies ever meeting his accuser but later confirms they had sex in the nightclub’s toilets – but insists was consensual
January 31, 2023: His wife Joana Sanz, 29, demands divorce
February 8, 2023: It emerges that Alves is said to be receiving ‘VIP treatment’ in prison
March 17, 2023: Alves is going on hunger strike following split from wife
November 14, 2023: The footballer is ordered to stand trial for the alleged assault
November 24, 2023: Prosecutors demand nine years jail time and to pay the alleged victim  £130,000, if found guilty
February 5, 2024: Alves appears in court in Spain facing twelve years in jail More