Brazil star Dani Alves remanded in custody by Spanish judge accused of ‘sexually assaulting woman in nightclub’
BRAZIL star Dani Alves had been remanded in custody by a judge in Barcelona, accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a nightclub.
The alleged sexual assault is said to have taken place on December 30, 2022 in a nightclub in the Catalan capital, local media report.
Spanish cops detained the footballer and took him to court for questioning following the woman’s formal complaint who claimed the assault happened at the iconic Sutton club in the Spanish city.
The ex-Barca defender was taken to a police station in the neighbourhood of Les Corts to make a statement.
The footballer who is now with Mexican side UNAM Pumas, admitted he had been at Sutton on December 30, when the alleged sex crime occurred.
But Alves who is currently said to be in a cell underneath the court complex ahead of his quiz by a judge denied any wrongdoing during questioning.
Sexual assault under Spanish law is a catch-all definition that covers everything from sexual groping to rape.
A spokesman for the investigating magistrate said: “Court of Instruction Number 15 in Barcelona has today received the footballer denounced by a woman for an alleged crime of sexual assault said to have occurred in a nightclub in Barcelona in December.
“The investigating magistrate has decided to remand him in provisional custody without bail as part of an ongoing criminal probe into an alleged crime of sexual assault.”
Alves protested his innocence in a Spanish TV interview after a court confirmed it had opened a formal investigation, insisting: “I don’t know who this lady is.
“I don’t know her name, I don’t know her, I’ve never seen her in my life.”
The 39-year-old, who became the oldest Brazilian to play in a FIFA World Cup last month, had arranged his police interview through lawyers, local media reported.
The reports also said he would be arrested and fingerprinted as part of a routine procedure before being questioned and taken to the court probing the alleged sex assault for a further quiz.
A spokesman for the regional Mossos D’Esquadra confirmed: “A man accused of an indecent assault at a nightclub in Barcelona late last year has been arrested.
“He has now been taken to court after making a statement to police.
“It will be up to the court now to decide what measures to take.”
A court official confirmed ten days ago: “Barcelona Court of Instruction Number 15 has opened proceedings over an alleged crime of sexual assault following a complaint filed by a woman against a footballer.
“The incident allegedly occurred at a nightclub in Barcelona in December.”
A spokesman for the investigating magistrate confirmed on Thursday the footballer, who it has not named, and the woman have not yet been questioned in court.
Authorities launched an investigation earlier this month after the woman named Alves as her alleged attacker.
Barcelona-based news site El Taquigrafo claimed it had CCTV footage showing Alves had been alone for 47 seconds in a toilet at the nightclub with the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her.
The video was published by the outlet two days after the first reports of an alleged sex assault allegedly involving Alves appeared in respected Spanish daily ABC.
The newspaper claimed Alves had allegedly put his hands inside the underwear of a woman said to have danced in a VIP area of the nightclub with him and her friends before she was followed into the toilet.
The woman allegedly burst into tears when Alves left the venue with a male friend ten minutes later.
Two female friends who were with the victim then alerted security staff who called the police.
ABC said: “The Catalan police went to the venue and when the victim spoke to them about the incident, the supposed aggressor had already left the nightclub.”
The alleged victim made the official complaint on January 2.
Alves who is married to Tenerife-born model Joana Sanz had flown to Spain from Mexico with the permission of his club after his wife’s mum died.
UNAM Pumas confirmed in a statement: “We regret the death of the mother of Joana Sanz, wife of our player Dani Alves.
“We send our most sincere condolences.”