MADRID (AP) — Former Barcelona player Dani Alves will remain in jail after a Spanish court on Tuesday denied his request to be freed on bail while a sexual assault accusation against the Brazilian is investigated.
The court had already denied a similar request by Alves' defense team in February, saying he was a flight risk.
Alves was provisionally detained in January after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a nightclub on Dec. 30. He has denied wrongdoing and said sex with the accuser was consensual.
A judge ordered him to be jailed without bail after analyzing the initial probe by authorities and hearing testimony from Alves, the alleged victim and witnesses. A trial date has not been set.
Alves’ lawyers had filed a 200-page report and videos from security cameras that they said discredited testimony by the alleged victim and other witnesses. The lawyers also reiterated that Alves would accept any court-imposed measures, such as turning in his passports and wearing a tracking device, if freed on bail.
Under Spain’s sexual consent law passed last year, sexual assault takes in a wide array of crimes from online abuse and groping to rape, each with different possible punishments. A case of rape can receive a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Alves turned 40 on Saturday. He won 42 soccer titles, including three Champions Leagues with Barcelona and two Copa Americas with Brazil. He played in his third World Cup last year in Qatar.
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