The Spanish court found him guilty. Celta Vigo striker Santi Mina was sentenced on Wednesday by a court in the province of Almeria to four years in prison for sexual abuse. The 26-year-old was on trial for acts dating back to June 2017 committed against a woman while he was on vacation in Mojacar, a seaside resort in the south-east of the country. The Spanish international hopeful will also have to pay compensation of 50,000 euros and observe an injunction to remove the victim from 500 meters for 12 years, describes El Diario de Almeria.
Santi Mina faced a heavier sentence, but the court acquitted him of the offense of sexual assault. The prosecutor had asked for eight years in prison for this reason and the prosecution nine and a half years. His footballer friend in Ibiza David Goldar, present at the time, was acquitted for the same reason. In his case, the prosecution did not ask for a sentence while the prosecution demanded nine and a half years.
The facts were committed while Santi Mina was playing in Valencia. The victim had consensual sex with David Goldar before being sexually abused by Santi Mina who joined them. Doctors and psychologists from the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Almeria considered that the young woman’s genital lesion was “compatible and plausible” with a sexual assault. They also linked the post-traumatic stress from which she suffers to the facts reported.
He was playing with his club so far
Santi Mina tried, via his lawyer, to discredit the testimony of the victim. A private detective, hired by his defense, had testified and he had been questioned about the clothes of the young woman as well as her lifestyle.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, Santi Mina continued to play with Celta Vigo. The striker, who has scored seven goals this season in La Liga, started Sunday in the draw (1-1) obtained in Granada. His club announced, after his conviction on Wednesday morning, that the player would be “temporarily withdrawn from first-team training” and that he was starting disciplinary proceedings against him.
Santi Mina’s defense announced, in the wake of the Almeria court’s decision, that it intended to appeal. In a press release sent to the EFE agency, she denounces “significant errors” on the tests carried out during the procedure.