Dani Alves appears in court for ‘rape’ trial, faces possible 12-year prison sentence

Former Barcelona star Dani Alves made a court appearance on Monday morning, as he faces a 12-year prison sentence for rape.

The 40-year-old Brazilian defender who has been held on remand at Brians 2 Prison near Barcelona for more than a year, was driven to court in a police van.

State prosecutors are seeking a nine-year jail term if Alves is convicted of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022.

Alves has admitted to having consensual sex with the woman in the nightclub’s toilet but denies the rape allegation.

 

The female accuser’s lawyer has called for Alves to receive the maximum 12-year prison sentence if found guilty.

Both prosecutors are also seeking a compensation payment of £128,000.

The trial at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court, is scheduled to last for three days.

The judges, sitting without a jury as is customary in Spain for sex crime cases, have around a fortnight to deliver their verdict once the trial ends.

Alves has insisted he had consensual sex with the woman who accused him of rape.

He initially claimed to have never met the woman but later acknowledged having consensual sex with her.

The alleged victim, a 23-year-old woman, has been granted permission to testify behind closed doors.

Alves’ wife Joana Sanz will also testify on his behalf following his pre-trial public apology to her for cheating on her.

Alves, widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, has played for clubs including Barcelona, Seville, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, and Sao Paulo.

He also captained the Brazilian national team, and had one of the most caps by an international player for his country.