Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 12:54 PM• Mart Oude Nijeweeme • Last update: 13:01

Santi Mina has been sentenced to four years in prison, the court in Spain has ruled. The attacker of Celta de Vigo is accused of sexual abuse. The court acquitted Mina of sexual assault, for which the public prosecutor had demanded eight years in prison. The incident took place in June 2017, in Mojácar (Almería). Celta de Vigo has immediately removed Mina from the selection, the club announced.

Five years after the attacker was guilty of the sexual abuse, he has heard his sentence. The Court of Almería, chaired by Társila Martínez, acquitted Mina of sexual assault, for which the prosecutor demanded eight years in prison. The attacker has also been banned from contacting the victim and has to pay 50,000 euros in damages. For the next twelve years, he must not come within 500 meters of the victim. Mina’s defense has already announced that it will appeal against the judge’s verdict.

The incident took place in the summer of 2017 in the city of Mojácer in Almería. Mina, who was employed by Valencia at the time, was on holiday with his good friend and teammate David Goldar, who currently plays for Ibiza. At the trial, doctors and psychologists from the Institute of Legal Medicine indicated that the so-called ‘genital lesion’ found on the victim was ‘compatible and plausible’ with a sexual assault. In addition, they assured that the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosed were “directly related” to the facts reported at the trial.

According to Mina’s defense, there was no abuse, but everything was done by mutual consent. The Spanish court did not agree. Goldar, in turn, was acquitted, as his part cannot be proven at all. Mina is a well-known player in the Spanish top division. The attacker went through Celta’s youth academy, where he made his debut in professional football in 2013. Two years later, he moved to Valencia, where he was under contract between 2015 and 2019. In the summer of 2019 he returned to his childhood sweetheart. Mina has 268 appearances to his name in LaLiga, scoring 63 goals.