8 months ago
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DISGRACED rapist Dani Alves has been spotted arriving at the court in shades and baseball cap as he tries to go incognito.
Alves returned to court for his agreed weekly meetings following his prison release on €1million bail.
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EPA
EPA
GettyThe former Barcelona star was pictured in plain clothes outside the court as he came to certify he has not fled.
The Brazilian appeared to be in disguise as he hid his face behind dark sunglasses and baseball cap.
He was seen smiling as he walked alongside his lawyer Ines Guardiola.
Alves has to appear in court every Friday as per conditions of his bail.
He also had to hand in his Spanish and Brazilian passports so he could not flee Spain.
Alves walked out of prison last week after serving just four weeks of his four-and-a-half-year sentence.
He reportedly hosted an all-night party at his £4.5million mansion just hours after his release on €1million bail.
Alves was convicted of raping a woman, 23, at a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.
The victim accused Alves of forcing her to have sex in a private bathroom of the nightclub despite begging him to let her go.
He has constantly denied the allegations and insisted the sexual encounter was consensual.
He received a sentence of four and a half years – far less than the nine years public prosecutors demanded and the 12 years Alves’ accuser wanted if he was convicted.
But his lawyer won an appeal to get Alves out of jail if he met the bail conditions.
The ex-Barcelona ace initially struggled to stump up enough cash despite earning over £45million across his successful career as his funds were frozen.
But Spanish journalist Marisa Martín Blazquez has seemingly spilled the beans on Alves’ saviour – a Brazilian magazine.
It’s claimed that the publication offered Alves the entire wad of money in exchange for an exclusive interview.
One of the requirements Alves seemingly agreed to is to ensure his wife Joana Sanz will also speak to the magazine.
The couple have been through a very turbulent past two years as Alves publicly admitted to cheating on Sanz with the woman who alleges she was raped.
Sanz asked for a divorce as the star faced his rape trial but she did go on to back Alves in court claiming she was with him the night of the accusations.
But it is currently uncertain what the pair’s status is after Joana posted a pic with the disgraced footballer.
Spanish media also claims Sanz went to see her ex at his home just days after his release.
ALVES’ BAIL CONTROVERSY
The Barcelona court allowed Alves to walk free from his Brians 2 jail despite his recent rape conviction.
Alves spent just weeks behind bars but his lawyer Ines Guardiola managed to win a bid to appeal the four-and-a-half year jail sentence.
He is now living in the comfort of his £4million home in Esplugues de LLobregat – a 25-minute drive west of Barcelona – as his lawyers go through the appeal process, reports say.
The bail conditions set by the court say Alves must stay at least 1,000m away from the home of the victim or any other place she frequently goes.
He is also banned from ever contacting her and must handover his Brazilian and Spanish passports.
The court feared Alves could leave Spain and travel to his native Brazil to try and avoid serving anymore jail time.
Ester Garcia, the lawyer of Alves’ rape victim, attacked the decision to grant him bail last Wednesday.
She fumed on RAC1 radio: “I’m very surprised and totally outraged… because it’s like this is justice for the rich.”
Garcia added: “It is scandalous that they can free a person who they know can get hold of a million euros in a heartbeat.
“I am very dissatisfied with this court decision. We will lodge an appeal because we believe it is not in accordance with the law.”
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also condemned Alves’ release.
He said: “The money that Daniel Alves has, the money that someone can lend him, cannot buy the offence that a man does to a woman by committing rape.”
It comes as residents of Barcelona – where Alves was once seen as an icon – blasted the court’s ruling to free him on bail.
One woman said: “I think it’s shameful and they are showing once again that woman don’t matter, that our rights don’t matter.
“If you have money and you are a man, you can do whatever you want and you won’t have to pay.”
As a man also gave his view saying “evil” things can’t be forgotten about simply because of money.
WHAT HAPPENED?
BRAZILIAN international footballer Dani Alves was accused of raping a woman in a nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, 2022.
In a trial held in Barcelona in February 2024, the footballer denied the allegations and said the encounter had been consensual.
Held at Barcelona’s Audiencia Provincial Court, the trial lasted three days and saw the victim, witnesses, and experts testify.
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.
In court she claimed that he was aggressive with her, slapping her and insulting her, and then forced her to have sex with him.
Following the trial, Alves was found guilty of raping the woman.
He was convicted on February 22 and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
The court also ordered Alves to pay £130K (150,000 euros) in compensation to the victim.
The court said in a statement: “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.”
He had previously been held in pre-trial detention since his arrest on January 20, 2023.
Alves’ lawyers immediately appealed his sentence.
On March 20, 2024 – a Barcelona court released Alves on a bail of €1million (£850k) pending an appeal on his conviction.
His defense is seeking his acquittal while the prosecutor wants his prison sentence increased to nine years.
There is no date yet for the new trial at a higher court in Barcelona. It can then go to the Supreme Court in Madrid.
Credit: The Mega Agency
Ex-wife Joana Sanz and disgraced Dani Alves, pictured years ago, appear to have reconnected
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