Ex-Brazil and Man City star Robinho told to serve nine-year jail term over gang rape of woman in Italy
Former Brazil and Manchester City winger Robinho is reportedly facing a nine-year jail term for gang rape in his home country, following his 2017 conviction in Italy.
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FollowFormer Brazil and Manchester City winger Robinho is reportedly facing a nine-year jail term for gang rape in his home country, following his 2017 conviction in Italy. Brazil's Superior Court of Justice (BSCJ), as reported by Globo, rendered this significant ruling on Wednesday after Italian authorities sought his extradition in 2022.
Robinho, whose real name is Robson De Souza, was among six men convicted of assaulting an Albanian woman at an Italian nightclub in January 2013. In January 2022, Rome's Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal against the conviction. Despite his insistence on innocence, Robinho has resided in Brazil for the past seven years.
Following a vote where nine out of the court's 15 ministers favored his incarceration in Brazil, the decision was made. His legal team plans to appeal to the BSCJ and the Federal Supreme Court, according to the outlet.
According to Globo, the former footballer, who also had stints at AC Milan and Real Madrid, will now face arrest in Santos, his current place of residence. Typically, the Brazilian constitution does not allow for the extradition of native criminals, potentially sparing Robinho from arrest if he had left Brazil.
During his appeal, Robinho, who was 28 and playing for AC Milan at the time of the incident, admitted to having "contact" with the woman but maintained that it was consensual. However, the Milan Court of Appeals, in December 2020, affirmed his original sentence, noting that Robinho had "belittled" and "brutally humiliated" the victim.
Intercepted phone conversations between Robinho and individuals purportedly involved in the assault were crucial evidence in his initial conviction.
Robinho had said, "It makes me laugh because I'm not interested, the woman was drunk, she doesn't even know what happened."
In 2020, the forward orchestrated a return to Santos, where he received a contract valued at minimum wage. However, amidst public outcry over his signing, including a significant sponsor withdrawing its support for the football club, he was compelled to nullify the agreement.
Hailing from the Santos academy, the winger was once hailed as one of Brazil's emerging talents. Throughout his career, he amassed 137 appearances for Real Madrid, 53 for Man City, and 144 for AC Milan. Additionally, he represented the Brazil national team on 100 occasions.
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