Sevilla’s Rafa Mir sentenced to eight and a half years for sexual assault and assault causing injuries | OneFootball

Sevilla forward Rafa Mir has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for sexual assault and assault causing injuries. The Audiencia Provincial de Valencia delivered the verdict on Monday after a trial in May.

In an Instagram post, Mir said he disagrees with the ruling and will appeal in the coming days, adding he still has faith in the justice system.

The 28-year-old and his friend Pablo Jara were arrested after two women accused them of sexual assault at Mir’s home in Betera in September 2024. They had met hours earlier at Valencia’s Mya nightclub following Valencia’s La Liga match with Villarreal.

The court found the offences occurred at the property, ruling Mir assaulted one woman in the pool area and a bathroom, and Jara assaulted the second in the pool before forcing her out. Both women sought medical attention and filed complaints the next day.

Mir received eight years and six months, with a 13-year restraining order, seven years of supervised release and €64,000 compensation. Jara was jailed for two years and six months and ordered to pay €6,280, with an additional fine for a minor assault offence. The ruling can be appealed.

Judges rejected the defence arguments as lacking factual basis and logic, and deemed the women’s testimonies consistent and credible, supported by witnesses and forensic psychological reports. Mir was released after a preliminary hearing in 2024 and continued playing in La Liga. He remains under contract with Sevilla until June 2027.

Source: NY Times