Brazilian police to probe Neymar’s video release

Rio de Janeiro, June 3

Police in Rio de Janeiro plan to investigate Brazilian soccer star Neymar for publishing intimate images of a woman who accused him of rape, officials have said.

In Brazil, it is a crime punishable by one to five years in prison to offer, share, sell, distribute or publish images and/or videos with sexual content without the consent of the victim.

The Cybercrimes Department said in a statement on Sunday that it would look into “the alleged posting of a video by Neymar” to his Instagram account in which he revealed to his nearly 120 million followers conversations with the woman, reports Efe news.

Among the materials released were messages Neymar exchanged between March and May with the alleged victim and intimate photos of her.

The images, however, were edited to digitally blur her private parts, as well as times and names.

Neymar confirmed that he has other videos sent by the woman but has not released them.

In offences like this prison sentence could be increased if it is motivated by revenge or humiliation after a sexual relationship.

Neymar on Sunday reached Granja Comary training complex in Teresopolis ahead of the Copa America.

A civilian police patrol car was seen waiting at the complex, Efe news reported. However, it was not clear if the police presence was due to the Neymar case.

Late on Friday, the Paris Saint Germain star was accused of sexual assault by a young Brazilian woman, who alleged that he raped her at a Paris hotel after they met on social media and he paid for her to travel to the French capital.

The woman filed a criminal complaint on May 31 at a Sao Paulo police station, alleging that the rape occurred in Paris last month.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, said in the complaint that she got in touch with Neymar via social media and they began to exchange messages.

She claimed Neymar invited her to Paris and that one of his associates arranged airplane tickets and a place for her to stay.

She said she arrived in Paris on May 15 and stayed at the Hotel Sofitel Paris Arc Du Triomphe, where Neymar came to meet her at around 8 p.m. in an apparently intoxicated state.

“They began to talk and caress one another, however at a certain point, Neymar became aggressive and, through violence had sexual relations against the victim’s will,” the complaint published by UOL and GloboEsporte said.

The footballer’s father, Neymar da Silva Santos, has claimed during a television program that his son was the victim of an extortion attempt by the woman making the allegations. — IANS