Spanish court fines ex-football boss Rubiales over kiss without consent
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Luis Rubiales has maintained through the trial in February that Jenni Hermoso had consented to be kissed.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID - Spain's High Court has found former football federation boss Luis Rubiales guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined him over €10,000 (S$14,000), the court said on Feb 20.
It acquitted him of charges of coercion.
Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence for Rubiales, 47, in a case that caused heated debate in Spain about sexism in women's football and wider Spanish society.
The court said in a statement it had also acquitted Rubiales' three co-defendants who were accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso into saying the kiss, at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Sydney, was consensual. The ensuing furore overshadowed Spain's victory in the tournament.
Rubiales has maintained through the trial in February that Hermoso had consented to be kissed amid the celebrations.
The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200 metre radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year. The fine was set at €20 a day over an 18-month period.
A lawyer for Hermoso was not immediately available for comment. REUTERS
