Former Barcelona and Brazil defender, Dani Alves, is facing nine years in jail if found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub.
According to the EFE news agency, prosecutors are pushing for a long sentence,£130,000 in damages and 10 years of probation.
It is reported that the case has finally reached the trial stage in Spain.
Alves was arrested on January 20 and has been held in a prison outside Barcelona.
The 40-year-old denies any wrongdoing and insists the sex was consensual.
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Alves was ordered to stand trial earlier this month having changed his testimony on four occasions.
He was denied bail by judges back in January after his arrest for the alleged sexual assault in the bathroom of the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on December 30.
The former Brazil international, 40, is accused of raping a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 30, 2022, and was arrested in January after turning himself in. In addition to requesting a nine-year prison sentence for the defendant, the prosecution has requested compensation of €150,000 (£130,000) for the complainant.
Alves has been in prison without bail since handing himself in 10 months ago. He has denied any wrongdoing and insists the sex was consensual.
In Spain, a claim of rape is investigated under the general accusation of sexual assault and convictions typically lead to prison terms of between four and 15 years. Last week, a Barcelona court ruled there was sufficient grounds for him to stand trial following requests by the public prosecutor, as well as the complainant’s lawyer.
“The statements of the alleged victim and the witnesses statements and experts’ reports that appear in the case must be considered as sufficient for this purpose, without prejudice to the final outcome following the plenary phase,” the court said in a statement.
