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VALENCIA, Spain, June 15, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sevilla striker Rafa Mir has been 
sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of sexual 
assault and bodily harm, the Valencian community High Court of Justice said 
Monday.

Mir, who was tried on May 28, was found guilty of "one count of sexual 
assault and one count of bodily harm" by the provincial court of Valencia, 
the high court said on social media network X, noting the conviction could 
still be appealed.

A second defendant, a friend of the footballer, was also convicted, and 
sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for a count of sexual assault and 
an offence "against moral integrity", in addition to a small fine for a minor 
offence of bodily harm.

The court ordered Mir, who pleaded not guilty, to pay the victim 64,000 euros 
($74,000) in compensation.

The offences took place on September 1, 2024, at the player's house in the 
Valencian town of Betera after Mir and his friend met two women at a 
nightclub.

Mir, 28, came through Valencia's youth academy and signed for Premier League 
team Wolves in 2018, before Sevilla bought him in 2021. The striker was 
loaned back to Valencia in July 2024.

Mir was arrested in September 2024 and suspended by Valencia for two matches, 
and spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Elche. The forward has represented 
Spain at youth level.