Dani Alves: A Football Legend's Journey Unveiled
On the last day of his trial in Spain, former Barcelona and Brazil football player Dani Alves entered the evidence and denied raping a woman in a nightclub. The 40-year-old was taken into custody in January of last year and has since been held without being granted bailHe said he was "not a violent man" and that the woman could have gone "if she wanted to" in a Barcelona court. The prosecution is requesting a nine-year prison term in addition to monetary damages. The accuser of Mr. Alves earlier testified in court that he had forced her to have sex with him after luring her into a restroom in the VIP area of a Barcelona nightclub. Mr. Alves stated during his 20-minute testimony, "She was not required to be there; if she wanted to leave, she could have left." According to the AFP news agency, he further stated that she had "at no time" requested to leave. The football player denied striking the girl as well. The prosecution claimed that Mr. Alves and his companion had purchased champagne for three young ladies and then asked one of them to go with him to a different location where there was a restroom that she was unaware of. They claimed that after they were inside, he became aggressive and had the woman have sex despite her repeated pleas to be released. A psychologist who saw the lady following the alleged rape testified earlier on Wednesday, saying they had "no indication" that the woman was fabricating or exaggerating the incident and that she displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. The defence called experts who contended that she might have been agitated by the significant media attention around the case.
Mr. Alves' buddy admitted to the court on Tuesday that he had drunk a significant amount of alcohol prior to going into the nightclub. When he returned home to their Barcelona residence that evening, according to his 31-year-old wife Joana Sanz, he appeared to be highly inebriated and had knocked into furniture before passing out on the bed. The accused victim's friend, who was present that evening, broke down in tears as she described to the court how the woman had "cried uncontrollably" after exiting the restroom and said Mr. Alves had "really hurt" her. In a TV interview, Mr. Alves had first denied knowing the claimed victim before subsequently admitting to have intercourse with her, although consensually. In Spain, charges of rape are looked into under the general heading of sexual assault, and those found guilty face terms ranging from four to fifteen years in jail. In this case, the public prosecutor is requesting that Mr. Alves serve nine years in prison and provide the victim €150,000 (£128,000) in damages. A decision is anticipated in a few weeks. After formally charging Mr. Alves in August, the court determined there was sufficient evidence to proceed with his trial. His attempts to be released on bond have been turned down repeatedly because the Brazilian national was deemed a flight risk by the courts.
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