Spain's Supreme Court upholds Santi Mina's four-year prison sentence for sexual abuse

Spain's Supreme Court has definitively rejected Santi Mina's appeal and confirmed the four-year prison sentence for sexually abusing a woman in July 2017. The events took place in a van parked near a nightclub in Mojácar, Almería, where the then footballer was sleeping and travelling with a group of friends. The ruling exhausts the ordinary judicial route in Spain and requires the Galician forward to enter prison.

• The Supreme Court rejects the footballer's appeal against the sentence upheld by the Andalusian High Court.
• Mina must serve four years in prison and pay €25,000 in compensation to the victim.
• Judges rule out any valid consent or a reasonable misinterpretation of consent by the player.
• Celta Vigo terminated the player's contract in August 2023, with two years still remaining.
• The Court also dismisses the victim's appeal seeking a longer sentence for sexual assault with penetration.

Spain's Supreme Court settles the Santi Mina case with a final ruling

The Criminal Chamber rejected the appeal filed by the player's defence against the ruling of the Andalusian High Court. That court had already upheld the prison term imposed by the Almería Provincial Court, although it reduced the civil liability from €50,000 to €25,000. With this decision, the conviction becomes final and no ordinary appeal is possible.

The case dates back to a summer night in 2017 in Mojácar, a coastal town in Almería. The victim reported that Mina sexually assaulted her inside a van while the group was in the vicinity of a club. Since then, the case has moved through three judicial instances, all of which have upheld the sexual abuse conviction.

No consent: key points in the Supreme Court ruling

In its reasoning, the Supreme Court justices consider it proven that the defendant took advantage of the proximity, surprise and the situation of the victim to carry out two non-consensual sexual acts. The Court stresses that Mina stopped when he realised that continuing would have required overcoming opposition through force.

The defendant took advantage of the proximity, surprise and the situation the victim was in to carry out two non-consensual sexual acts.

The high court insists there is no evidence to support the claim that the player received consent that he misinterpreted. On the contrary, the ruling concludes that stopping when the woman asked him to stop only proves the moment the act ended, not that she had previously consented or that the defendant believed she had.

Victim sought a harsher sentence for sexual assault

The Court also dismissed the appeal filed by the victim's legal representation. The prosecution requested that Santi Mina be convicted of sexual assault with penetration, carrying a sentence of eight years in prison, or alternatively six years. However, the Supreme Court maintains the legal classification of sexual abuse and the four-year prison term imposed earlier.

Likewise, the high court rejects the request to convict the other defendant who was acquitted, either as a necessary cooperator or as an accomplice to the sexual offence committed by Mina. The justice system therefore maintains the acquittal of the footballer's friend, whom the victim also implicated in the events.

Santi Mina's career, shaped by the conviction

Santi Mina, a product of Celta Vigo's youth academy with international experience in Spain's youth teams, spent most of his career in Spanish football. After standing out at the Galician club, he moved to Valencia CF and later returned to Vigo. Celta was ultimately the last club of his professional career.

The Galician club unilaterally terminated the player's contract in August 2023, just as the Andalusian High Court upheld the conviction. At that point he had two years remaining on his deal. Since then, Mina has remained away from professional football awaiting the final resolution of his case.

The judicial timeline leading to the final sentence

The case against Santi Mina began with the investigation into events that took place in the summer of 2017 in Mojácar. The Almería Provincial Court was the first to hear the case and handed down the four-year sentence for sexual abuse, along with compensation initially set at €50,000.

The player's defence appealed to the Andalusian High Court, which confirmed the prison term but halved the civil liability. Neither party was satisfied with that decision: the footballer maintained his innocence and the private prosecution demanded a harsher sentence. Ultimately, the Supreme Court has settled the matter by upholding the decisions of the lower courts.

Frequently asked questions about the Santi Mina sentence