Young Woman’s Sexual Assault Case Against Daniel Alves Faces Legal Delays and Expert Disputes
A young woman has accused football player Daniel Alves of sexual assault, and the case has moved into an appeal phase before the investigating judge at the Sutton nightclub incident in Barcelona. She has refused to be examined by a private psychologist proposed by the defense to determine whether her history and symptoms align with what is described as sexual assault.
According to legal sources cited by EFE, the victim’s lawyer, Ester García, filed an appeal against the investigating judge’s decision to authorize the expert examination. The defense had expressed satisfaction with the discoveries made by the coroner, while the prosecution also appealed against a ruling by the President of the First Instance Court No. 15 in Barcelona. The ruling had granted Alves’s defense, through lawyer Cristóbal Martell, access to an independent forensic medicine expert and a psychologist, to be involved in assessing the case. The Forensic Medicine and Forensic Science (IMLC) team and a psychologist hired by Alves were among those who would participate in the evaluation.
The psychological examination of the victim—an essential step in determining whether the account and behaviors described by the complainant match the experience of sexual assault—has been suspended for now, pending the judge’s decision on the objections.
Alves’s defense seeks to dig deeper into the assertion that the complaint might be influenced by a speech disorder. In addition to requesting the court’s expert opinions, the defense asked for video recording of the psychological examination of the young woman. Both the prosecutor and the special prosecutor objected to recording the session, a move they considered unusual in criminal court. Their objection led the judging authority to decline the request, prompting an appeal from the defense.
The ongoing investigation into the alleged sexual assault, which reportedly occurred in a secluded area of the Sutton nightclub in Barcelona on December 30, has been put on hold while the judiciary weighs the testimonies and the main procedures already carried out, such as witness statements and the analysis of biological evidence.
Alves’s defense has the option to seek parole for the detained player at any point, though no such request has been filed yet. The current proceedings have not produced new elements that would shift the course of the case, and any future motion for release will hinge on the evolving judicial assessment.
In another development, one of the central arguments used by the defense to argue against flight risk appeared to lose some force. It had relied on Alves’s registration in Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona) and his marriage to another person. However, recent public statements by a Spanish model who is Alves’s wife indicated she intends to end the eight-year marriage, a development that could influence the case dynamics and the court’s view on the risk of absconding.
The matter continues to unfold in the Spanish judicial system, with both sides preparing for further hearings and expert assessments. The outcome will depend on how the judge weighs the objections, the results of expert evaluations, and the potential impact of ongoing personal circumstances surrounding those involved. The case remains a focal point of public and media attention as it advances through the courts.