A Spanish football player was found guilty of sexual assault in 2019 after touching a mascot in an inappropriate manner before a game.
Hugo Mallo was lining up with players from his former teams, Espanyol and Celta Vigo, prior to the start of their La Liga match.
During the handshakes between the players and match officials, Mallo, 33, was found to have inappropriately touched the breasts of a woman who was wearing Espanyol’s parakeet costume, known as Perica.
On Thursday, a judge ordered Mallo to pay €6,000 (£5,100) in fines and return €1,000 (£844) in damages to the victim.
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He will also be in charge of paying the legal fees associated with the proceedings.
Mallo announced his plan to file an appeal and to reiterate his innocence on Instagram after the verdict.
“I continue to vehemently deny the facts attributed to me in the ruling,” declared Mallo.
“I acknowledged that when I turned around after the greetings, my hand might have touched the parakeet’s waist, but I denied categorically that it touched its breasts.”
Mallo, who plays for the Greek team Aris now, demanded “respect” when the allegations first arose, adding that neither Espanyol nor Celta Vigo had found any proof of misconduct.
