A Spanish footballer has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman dressed as a mascot before a La Liga game.
Hugo Mallo, who was playing for Celta Vigo at the time, inappropriately touched her breasts while she was wearing a parakeet costume for rival team Espanyol, a court in Barcelona has ruled.
The incident took place in 2019 as the footballers lined up before kick-off.
Mallo, 33, was fined €6,000 (£5,000) by the judge and ordered to pay €1,000 (£843) in damages to the victim. He will also have to pay the legal costs of the proceedings.
According to Spanish media reports, Judge Salvador Roi Tejedor said in his ruling: “Upon reaching the height of the victim, disguised as a parakeet, the accused, with the intention of satisfying his libidinous desire and of undermining the sexual indemnity of the same, put his hands under the costume and touched her breasts, forcing the victim to step back and push the accused away with her right hand.”
Mallo, who now plays for the Greek side Aris, maintains his innocence and said he plans to appeal the sentencing.
He also posted a video of the incident on Instagram.
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Mallo playing for Celta Vigo. Pic: Reuters
“I continue to categorically deny the facts attributed to me in the ruling,” Mallo wrote in a post accompanying the video.
“I acknowledged that while turning around after the greetings that my hand could have touched the waist of the parakeet, but I absolutely denied that it touched the parakeet’s breasts.”
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The case was initially dismissed but that decision was overturned on appeal.
At the time, Mallo posted a statement on Instagram calling for “respect” and pointing out that neither Celta nor Espanyol found evidence of wrongdoing.