The ex-footballer for Brazil and Manchester City, Robinho, was taken into custody by federal authorities at his residence in Santos. This comes after a Brazilian court sentenced him to nine years in prison for a rape he was found guilty of in Italy.
The player, named Robson de Souza and aged 40, was arrested on Thursday evening when his legal team’s request to postpone his imprisonment for a 2013 offense was denied. At the time of the crime, he was playing for AC Milan.
In 2017, a Milan court convicted Robinho and five other Brazilians of participating in a gang rape against a woman, in which they intoxicated her with alcohol at a nightclub.
The verdict was upheld by an appellate court in 2020 and affirmed by Italy’s highest court in 2022.
Robinho has consistently refuted the accusations.
Reworded: Robinho arrived at the federal police headquarters in Santos, where he first started his career in the 1990s, on Thursday evening at around 8pm. A large group of reporters and camera crews gathered around the police vehicle that brought him to the building, with its lights flashing.
According to reports from Brazilian media, Robinho will undergo a forensic medical examination prior to his scheduled custody hearing. Following this, it is anticipated that the disgraced soccer player will be transferred to one of approximately 100 prisons in the state of São Paulo, where the city of Santos is situated.
According to recent information, he could potentially serve his prison term in Tremembé, a renowned facility known for housing high-profile inmates, such as murderers and serial rapists.
Source: theguardian.com