Rafa Mir, 28, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison by a Valencia court for sexual assault and bodily harm that took place in September 2024 at his home in Betera, Valencia. The incident involved one of two women he and his friend Pablo Jara met at a nightclub earlier that evening, the court found [1, 2, 3].
Mir, who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest before joining La Liga side Elche on loan from Sevilla, faced charges after the victim’s testimony was deemed credible and supported by forensic and witness evidence. Mir’s lawyer denied the accusations, stating the intercourse was consensual, but the court rejected this defense [1, 3].
The court ordered Mir to pay 64,000 euros (approximately £55,000) in compensation to the victim [1, 2, 3].
Pablo Jara, who was also charged, received a two-year prison sentence for sexual assault, plus six months for an offense against moral integrity, along with a 6,280-euro fine (about £5,400) [1, 2].
At the time of the assault and arrest, Mir was playing for Valencia on loan from Sevilla. He currently plays for Elche in La Liga, still on loan from Sevilla [1, 2, 3]. Sevilla FC issued a statement expressing "utmost respect for judicial proceedings and expresses our firm and unequivocal condemnation of any type of violence, abuse, or sexual assault. Such conduct has no place in our society or in the values promoted by sport" [1].
Mir said he "disagrees with the ruling and we will appeal in the coming days. I continue to have faith in the justice system" [1].
The attack occurred after Mir and Jara met two women at a Valencia nightclub and later brought them to Mir’s home on September 1, 2024, where the assault took place [2, 3]. Both Mir and Jara were arrested later that month after accusations came to light [1, 2, 3].
The sentencing occurred on September 4, 2026. Mir retains the right to appeal the verdict [1, 2, 3].
