Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio has been fully acquitted of charges related to sharing sexually explicit video content without consent, a court on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria said Thursday, after prosecutors withdrew all charges when the victims forgave the defendants.
Asencio, 23, was accused of distributing a sex tape but was not accused of filming it. He stood trial alongside three of his former Real Madrid youth-team teammates: Ferran Ruiz, Juan Rodriguez and Andres Garcia. The three other players were found guilty of recording and distributing videos of sexual content involving a minor, aged 16, and committing the same offences against a second teenage woman. They were each sentenced to one year in prison, with the sentences suspended on condition that they commit no further offences during that period.
Prosecutors had reduced their sentencing requests for the three players after the victims withdrew their complaints and told the court they had forgiven them. The charges against Asencio were dropped entirely following the victims' statements.
In a separate matter, Asencio was fined €14,400 and banned from driving for eight months after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol, another court said on Wednesday.
Real Madrid coach José Mourinho said Thursday that the club had opened disciplinary proceedings related to the case. Mourinho also expressed frustration with Asencio's defensive performance, distinguishing between occasional mistakes and a pattern of repeated errors. "I am not happy," Mourinho said. "Everyone makes mistakes, but accumulated errors are a different thing."
Asencio has not played for the Spanish club this season due to a hamstring injury.