Ex-Wolves and Sevilla forward sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for sexual assault

Sevilla forward Rafa Mir has been sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for sexual assault and battery, following an incident that occurred in September of 2024. Mir had protested his innocence throughout, but a jury in Valencia has found him guilty on multiple accounts.

Mir, 28, was on loan at Valencia at the time, the club he came through at, when he arrived back at his property in the early hours of a Sunday morning with two accomplices, and two women. The following day, a 21-year-old woman filed a complaint with the police for sexual assault.

Mir condemned to 8.5 years in prison

The public prosecutor was seeking a sentence of 10.5 years for sexual assault including bodily entry, and battery. Mir had claimed that the incident took place with consent from the victim, but the court has ruled that she did not, sentencing him to 8.5 years in jail, as per Diario AS. He was later arrested by police and released on bail.

The testimony of the victim met three requisites for the burden of evidence to outweigh the presumption of innocence; the absence of inexplicable details, plausibility of the account of events, and consistency of the account of events. The victim has been awarded €64k in damages, but Mir is still able to appeal the verdict.

Mir had publicly stated that his innocence ‘would be proven in court.’ One of his accomplices on the night, Pablo Jara, has been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and a €6,280 fine for sexual assault.

Mir the latest in high-profile sexual assault cases

Mir’s case was one of several that have become headline news in Spain over the past few years, most notably with Dani Alves. The Brazilian was later acquitted on appeal after a lengthy trial and two-year stint in prison, after initially being convicted of rape. Former Celta Vigo captain Hugo Mallo was also convicted of sexual assault against the Espanyol mascot.