Saturday, November 25, 2017
On Thursday, an Italian court in Milan sentenced Brazilian footballer Robinho to a nine-year prison term for sexual assault. Robinho did not attend the hearing, but on his behalf, his lawyer pled not guilty.
The 33-year-old Brazilian forward was accused of sexually assaulting an Albanian woman in a nightclub in Milan in January 2013. Robinho played at the time for Milanese club AC Milan. The victim, who was 22 year old in 2013, is to receive a compensation of €60 thousand (about US$70 thousand) from Robinho.
Robinho’s lawyer Marisa Alija said the footballer had not participated in the gang rape. Speaking to ESPN Brasil, she said, “Concerning the case involving the forward Robinho, in an incident that occurred some years ago, I want to make clear that my client has already defended himself from these accusations, affirming that he did not have any participation in this episode.”((pt))Portuguese language: Sobre o assunto envolvendo o atacante Robinho, em um fato ocorrido há alguns anos, esclareço que meu cliente já se defendeu das acusações, afirmando não ter qualquer participação no episódio.
By law, Robinho can appeal twice, after which Italy would seek to extradite him. However, Brazilian citizens are not extradited in their country, meaning he would not be arrested for the assault as long as he does not leave the country.
Back in 2009, when the Brazilian played for English club Manchester City, West Yorkshire Police arrested Robinho for “serious sexual assault” in a Leeds nightclub, but was not charged.