Santi Mina: Spanish footballer sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of sexual abuse

The 26-year-old will appeal against the sentence

The 26-year-old will appeal against the sentence (Getty Images)

Spanish footballer Santi Mina has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of sexual abuse.

The 26-year-old Celta Vigo forward will have to serve time if his appeal is unsuccessful.

Mina was cleared of the sexual aggression charge he was also facing, which is associated to intimidation or violence against the victim.

Celta preventively removed the player from their squad until the appeal process is over. It also opened disciplinary proceedings do determine the options the club can take.

The state prosecutor was asking for eight years of prison for Mina, while the victim's lawyers were seeking 9 and a half years.

David Goldar, who played for lower-division club Ibiza, was found not guilty after being accused of being an accomplice. The woman's lawyer was asking for 4 and a half years in prison for him.

Mina and Goldar said the woman consented to their sexual relations.

The woman accused Mina of raping her in a camper van in 2017, where she had gone with Goldar. Her lawyer said Goldar did nothing to stop Mina from raping her.

At the time, Mina was playing for Valencia. He returned to his boyhood club in Vigo in 2019.

The ruling by the lower court can be appealed to Spain's Supreme Court.

AP