Former Wolves and Nottingham Forest striker Rafa Mir has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after being found guilty of committing sexual assault and assault causing injury, a court in the eastern Valencia region has ruled.
Mir was arrested in September 2024 after a woman filed a sexual assault complaint.
The Spaniard's lawyer said at the time that the pair had intercourse consensually, and Mir vigorously denied the accusations.
According to the ruling, Mir and another footballer met two young women at a nightclub in Valencia, and later went to Mir's home to continue the party.
The court said that at the house, Mir sexually assaulted one of the women in the pool and a bathroom.
The court also noted the victim's consistent and credible testimony, which was backed by witness accounts and forensic reports.
The victim received €64,000 (£55,300) in compensation.
The sentence is not final, and Mir confirmed on Monday that he will appeal.
Rafa Mir has been sentenced to over eight years in jail
|REUTERS
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He wrote on social media: "I do not agree with the ruling, and we will appeal in the coming days.
"I still have faith in the justice system."
Mir, who is currently on loan at LaLiga side Elche from Sevilla, was under contract at Valencia at the time of the incident.
Sevilla released a statement, saying: "The club, in light of the judgment issued by Section Four of the Provincial Court of Valencia in which footballer Rafa Mir - currently on loan at Elche CF until June 30 - is sentenced to eight and a half years, states its utmost respect for judicial proceedings and expresses our firm and unequivocal condemnation of any type of violence, abuse, or sexual assault.
Mir announced he will appeal the decision
|REUTERS
"Such conduct has no place in our society or in the values promoted by sport."
Mir came through his youth with Valencia, progressing through the club's ranks and featuring a couple of times for the first team.
He completed a move to Wolves in 2018, only making two appearances during his tenure at the club.
He went out on loan to Las Palmas and Nottingham Forest, where he played 11 games, scoring zero goals.
Mir previously had spells with Nottingham Forest and Wolves
|REUTERS
The Spaniard completed a permanent move to Sevilla in 2021, playing 75 league games for the LaLiga side and scoring 18 goals.
During his time with Sevilla, Mir has gone on loan to Valencia and Elche, scoring eight goals in the league this season.
The Spaniard has represented his country at under-21 and under-23 level and featured in Spain's Olympic squad in 2020.
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