Robinho

Former Brazilian footballer Robinho. Photo: Twitter

Ex-City star Robinho faces NINE years in jail after rape appeal rejected

Former Brazilian footballer Robinho has lost his final appeal against a conviction related to the gang rape of a woman in 2013.

Robinho

Former Brazilian footballer Robinho. Photo: Twitter

In 2017, Robinho and five other Brazilians were found guilty of assaulting a 22-year-old woman in a nightclub in Milan. The guilty verdict was first upheld in December 2020 following an appeal.

Now, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court in Rome upheld that previous ruling and sentenced the 37-year-old to nine years in jail.

Robinho started his career at Santos before moving to Real Madrid in 2005, while in 2008, he joined Manchester City for £32.5m. He was also capped 100 times by Brazil.

Robinho could escape extradition to Italy

Controversially, there are now questions over whether Robinho will serve his jail sentence because he is in Brazil, and the Brazilian constitution bans the extradition of its citizens.

At the previous appeal Robinho did admit to having “contact” with the woman, but called it “consensual”.

The victim originally accused six men of assaulting her, and her lawyer Jacopo Gnocchi told reporters on Thursday: “There are two people convicted in Brazil [Robinho and Falco] and another four that must be found in Brazil, who must be given the notice of conclusion of the investigation, and this must be done by the Public Ministry.

He added, “It’s cases like this that change society’s thinking. In total, 15 judges, divided into three instances, understood that the victim was telling the truth. Brazil is a country that protects the victim, not the culprit.”

Robinho’s defence indicated that their client will pay the victim a compensation package of €60,000 with the need for her to file a civil suit.

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