Accused of Sexual Nature Videos Distribution!
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, Sep 18 (EFE).-
A Spanish court has opened oral proceedings against Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio and former players from the club’s affiliate teams, Ferrán Ruiz, Juan Rodríguez, and Andrés García, accused of distributing videos of a sexual nature without permission that affect two young women, one of whom is a minor.
According to the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands, the judge has required Ruiz, Rodríguez, and García to post bail of 20,000 euros each to ensure possible compensation for the complainants in the event that they are found guilty, while Raúl Asencio is required to post bail of 15,000 euros.
The difference is that the first three are accused not only of distributing the videos but also of making those recordings without the permission of those affected.
No appeal can be lodged against the ruling made public on Thursday, although it is dated Sep. 2.
The case will now be referred to a criminal court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which will set the date for the public hearing.
The events occurred on Jun. 15, 2023, while the four soccer players were spending the day at a beach club in Amadores, a town in the south of Gran Canaria.
Ruiz, Rodríguez, and García had consensual sex with two women, one of whom was 16 years old at the time, in a private cabin at the club.
The complainants claim that, without their permission, the three players, who no longer belong to Real Madrid, recorded them having sex and shared the videos in WhatsApp groups, despite the fact that the women had expressly asked them to delete them from their phones.
Asencio’s involvement in the case came to light days later, when one of the defendants sent one of the videos to his cell phone and he showed it to a friend, allegedly knowing that it had been taken against the will of the young women who appeared in it.
Asencio acknowledged this in a WhatsApp message recovered by the Civil Guard from his phone.
“Hey, bro, I showed it to you because Juan (Rodríguez) sent it to me,” the message read.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office is seeking four-year, seven-month prison sentences for Ruiz, Rodríguez, and García and two-year, six-month sentence for Asencio.
The first three are charged with distributing child pornography and two crimes against privacy for recording and distributing the images.
Asencio is charged with two crimes against privacy for showing the images, knowing the circumstances in which they were recorded.
The two young women who filed the complaint are also acting as private prosecutors in the case.
The one who was a minor at the time of the events is pressing charges against the four soccer players, while her friend has withdrawn her accusation against Asencio.
According to her lawyer, she withdrew her accusation after receiving compensation from teh Real Madrid player in an undisclosed amount and a formal letter of apology.
In the letter, Asencio expressly admits to “the mistake” of showing the images he received on his cell phone to a third person. EFE
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