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<\/a><\/p>\nBARCELONA (Reuters) – Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves said on Monday he had consensual sex with a woman who has accused him of sexual assault, changing his version of what happened in a Barcelona nightclub in late December.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old, who has been jailed without bail since Jan. 20, appeared before the judge handling the investigation on Monday at his own request, his lawyers said in a statement. <\/p>\n
“He assured he didn’t initially tell what had happened and denied the sexual contact because his only priority was to save his marriage,” the statement said. <\/p>\n
Alves told the judge there was immediate interest and sexual tension between him and his accuser. “He said that everything that happened inside the restroom was a free and voluntary act. They made love and (she) didn’t say at any time to stop”, the statement added. <\/p>\n
Alves had previously denied any sexual encounter with the woman who filed a complaint in January about an alleged sexual assault in a restroom at an exclusive Barcelona nightclub. <\/p>\n
Two weeks before his arrest in January, Alves said in a video sent to local TV channel Antena 3 that he did not know who the woman was.<\/p>\n
In February, the court rejected Alves’ demand to be released. <\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Barcelona court where Alves testified on Monday declined to comment. <\/p>\n
The lawyer representing the alleged victim and a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s body did not respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n
The case has attracted significant attention in Spain, in part because of Alves’ prominence but primarily because sexual assault has remained a dominant political theme since a 2016 gang-rape of a teenager during the San Fermin bull-running festival which led to the toughening of sexual violence laws in the country.<\/p>\n
In Spain, a claim of rape is investigated under the general accusation of sexual assault and convictions can lead to jail time of between four and 15 years.<\/p>\n
Following his arrest, Alves, who has played in the past for teams such as FC Barcelona and Paris-St-Germain, was fired by Mexico’s Pumas UNAM and his wife, model Joana Sanz, left him.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Joan Faus and Inti Landauro, Editing by William Maclean)<\/p>\n
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