Former Barça star Alves indicted for sexual assault in Spain
Barcelona, Spain, Aug 2 (EFE).- Brazilian footballer Dani Alves was formally indicted on Wednesday on charges that he sexually assaulted a woman at a nightclub in Barcelona.
A statement from his lawyer Cristobal Martell said the player was not “in agreement” with the indictment as “it does not conform to the reality of what happened”, but that he will not appeal it in order to expedite the process and get to trial as quickly as possible.
The former FC Barcelona star has been held in prison without bail since he was arrested in January after a 23-year-old woman accused him of raping her on December 30.
Alves has denied the accusation and insisted he had had consensual relations with the alleged victim.
He initially denied knowing the woman, before acknowledging that they had crossed paths in a bathroom of the nightclub but that that they had had no sexual relations.
Alves then said that the woman had performed oral sex on him, before ultimately admitting that they had had consensual sex.
The footballer told the judge that he had lied in his earlier statements to the court in order to conceal his infidelity from his wife, Spanish model Joana Sanz, who has since ended the relationship.
No trial date has been set yet. Alves could face between four and 15 years in prison if found guilty.EFE
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