Sevilla striker, Rafa Mir has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault and bodily harm, the Valencian Community High Court of Justice said Monday.
Mir, who was tried on May 28, was found guilty of “one count of sexual assault and one count of bodily harm” by the provincial court of Valencia, the high court said on the social media network X, noting the conviction could still be appealed.
A second defendant, a friend of the footballer, was also convicted, and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for a count of sexual assault and an offence “against moral integrity”, in addition to a small fine for a minor offence of bodily harm.
The court ordered Mir, who pleaded not guilty, to pay the victim 64,000 euros ($74,000) in compensation.
“The Fourth Section of the Valencia Court has sentenced the footballer of Elche CF, and formerly of Valencia CF, to eight and a half years in prison,” a Valencia court announced on Monday.
“He was tried on 28 May on charges of sexual assault and causing bodily harm.” Mir and his friend and fellow footballer Pablo Jara were both arrested in September 2024 after two women accused them of sexual assault at Mir’s residence.
Mir will also have to pay €64,000 as compensation to the victim.
The offences took place on September 1, 2024, at the player’s house in the Valencian town of Betera after Mir and his friend met two women at a nightclub.
After the sentence, Mir confirmed on Monday that he will appeal.
“I do not agree with the ruling, and we will appeal in the coming days,” Mir posted on Instagram.
“I still have faith in the justice system.”
Mir, 28, who played this season on loan at LaLiga side Elche from Sevilla, maintained his innocence during the one-day hearing in Valencia on May 28, insisting the two women consented to having sexual relations with him.
Mir was playing on loan at Valencia from Sevilla at the time while Jara was on the books of lower division club Alcantarilla FC.
A former Spain under-21 and under-23 international, Mir started his senior career at Valencia, and also played for Las Palmas and Huesca.
