Spanish footballer Hugo Mallo convicted of sexually abusing mascot before LaLiga match | World News

A Spanish football player has been convicted of sexually abusing a woman dressed as a mascot before a La Liga match.

Hugo Mallo, who was playing for Celta Vigo at the time, touched her breasts inappropriately while she was wearing a parakeet costume for rival Espanyol, a court in Barcelona ruled.

The incident occurred in 2019 when the football players lined up before kick-off.

Mallo, 33, was sentenced by the judge to pay a fine of €6,000 (£5,000) and €1,000 (£843) in compensation to the victim. He must also pay legal costs.

According to Spanish media reports, Judge Salvador Roi Tejedor stated in his verdict: “When he reached the height of the victim, who was dressed as a parakeet, the accused put his hands under the costume and touched her breasts in order to satisfy his lustful desire and undermine her sexual resistance. In doing so, he forced the victim to retreat and push the accused away with his right hand.”

Mallo, who now plays for Greek club Aris, maintains his innocence and said he intends to appeal the verdict.

He also posted a video of the incident on Instagram.

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“I continue to categorically deny the facts attributed to me in the verdict,” Mallo wrote in a post accompanying the video.

“While I acknowledged that my hand may have touched the parakeet's waist when I turned around after greeting it, I firmly denied that it had touched the parakeet's breasts.”

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The lawsuit was initially dismissed, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

Mallo had published a statement on Instagram at the time in which he called for “respect” and pointed out that neither Celta nor Espanyol had found evidence of wrongdoing.