The Galician footballer Hugo Mallo, currently in the ranks of Internacional de Porto Alegre after 14 seasons at Celta de Vigo, where he became captain and one of its most outstanding players, has been accused of sexual abuse and must appear before the court. judge.
According to the newspaper As, the defender must go to the Criminal Court number 19 of Barcelona on July 11 after an alleged crime committed almost five years ago, on April 24, 2019, moments before a match between the Espanyol and Celta de Vigo.
According to the complaint filed by the woman who worked as a parakeet mascot, the alleged crime occurred during the greeting between the players of both teams, on the grass of the current Stage Front Stadium. When the soccer player reached the pets, he gave his hand to the parakeet, while he "put his hands under her costume and touched the parakeet's breasts."
"According to the declarant, he grabbed her breasts with his hands and began to make movements," specifies the complaint, which was presented to the Mossos d'Esquadra the day after the alleged events.
The newspaper As reports that the complaint was accepted in the first instance by the Court of First Instance and Instruction Number 2 of Cornellà de Llobregat. During the judicial summons, images of the events were shown, provided by both the defense and Mediapro and LaLiga, and the player defended his innocence, alleging that he greeted both the footballers and the mascots normally. Subsequently, the judicial body decided to agree to the provisional dismissal of the case - to stop it although with the possibility of reopening it - "because the perpetration of the crime of sexual abuse that was described in the complaint was not duly justified."
However, the victim's defense decided to file an appeal to the Ninth Section of the Provincial Court of Barcelona, which completely revoked the Order of the Cornellà Court. This body understood that there were "some facts that may constitute the crime of sexual abuse, without us appreciating in this phase of the procedure any type of spurious intention that invalidates the version of the events reported." It should be noted that the events are judged as alleged sexual abuse and not assault, since the Penal Code in force at the time of what occurred applies.
Two years after the events, the parties received a court summons for the oral trial, which had to be held from May 25, 2023 but was finally postponed until July 11, when the player must testify again before the Criminal Court number 19 of Barcelona and explain their version of what happened on April 24, 2019.
Both the alleged victim's lawyer and the Prosecutor's Office agree in requesting a 24-month fine for Mallo. Furthermore, Espanyol offered all its support to the alleged victim and offered to pay all the legal costs of the process.
