Jennifer Hermoso Strikes Back at Rubiales: Her Goal Is to See Him in Prison

The footballer Jennifer Hermoso has filed an appeal against the sentence that imposed an 18-month fine on Luis Rubiales for sexual assault. In her statement, Hermoso demands that he also be convicted for the alleged coercion she suffered after the incident. This, alleging that the threats and possible consequences were real.

The player's defense has taken the case to the Criminal Chamber of the National Court. Where it requests that Rubiales, along with the former director of the Spanish national team Albert Luque, also Jorge Vilda and Rubén Rivera, be sentenced to one and a half years in prison. This, for the crime of coercion.

As an alternative, in case this request is not accepted, Hermoso's lawyer asks for Rubiales's sentence to be modified. This, for sexual assault, replacing the fine with a one-year prison sentence.

In her appeal, the footballer's defense questions the ruling of Judge José Manuel Fernández Prieto. The one who determined that there were no acts of violence or intimidation aimed at preventing Hermoso from acting freely or forcing her to do something against her will.

According to the statement, the sentence has not adequately substantiated the assessment of certain evidence presented during the trial. Which, in the defense's opinion, could have led to a conviction for coercion.

Unexpected Turn in the Rubiales Case: Prosecutor's Office Requests to Annul the Trial

The prosecutor of the National Court has filed an appeal against the sentence that sentenced Luis Rubiales to 18 months of fine for sexual assault. This, due to the allegedly non-consensual kiss to Jenni Hermoso. The representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office, Marta Durántez, requests the annulment of the trial, arguing that she was not allowed to ask key questions or present certain evidence.

The prosecutor's office considers that the process was marked by "defenselessness and arbitrariness." Therefore, it requests the repetition of the trial with a magistrate different from José Manuel Fernández Prieto, alleging a possible lack of impartiality.

The prosecutor of the National Court, Marta Durántez, has filed an appeal to annul the trial against Luis Rubiales. This, arguing that the magistrate who handled the case "was not impartial."

The sentence, issued on February 20, 2025, by the Central Criminal Court, acquitted Rubiales, Jorge Vilda, Rubén Rivera, and Albert Luque of the crime of coercion. Although it sentenced the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation to pay a fine for sexual assault after the kiss to Jenni Hermoso.

Durántez considers that the ruling is "an offense to the victim and to all people who have suffered sexual assaults." With her appeal, the Prosecutor's Office seeks to have the trial repeated under the supervision of a different judge, alleging that the lack of impartiality has affected the judicial process.

Likewise, the appeal argues that the application of article 178.1 of the Penal Code in this case was incorrect. This article stipulates penalties of between one and four years in prison for those who commit acts that violate another person's sexual freedom without their consent. The decision now rests with the National Court, which must solve the prosecutor's office's request.