Police urged to reopen Ronaldo rape claim case from 2005
THE Crown Prosecution Service should re-examine its decision to drop a 2005 London-based rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo, MPS and campaigners said last night.
Women’s groups and MPS expressed concern after it emerged that the case against the Portuguese footballer was dismissed in less than a month.
Questions were also raised over the disclosure that one of his accusers suddenly decided to withdraw her complaint without explanation.
Ronaldo, who is one of the biggest names in world football, with marketing endorsements worth hundreds of millions of pounds, is facing an allegation of rape in the US dating from 2009.
He is accused of sexually assaulting Kathryn Mayorga, 33, at the Palm Casino resort in Las Vegas.
It is claimed he paid her £287,000 the following year as part of a non-disclosure agreement to buy her silence, but her lawyers have now issued a summons for which he has 20 days to respond.
As part of the case, Ms Mayorga’s lawyers are now appealing for the two women from the 2005 case in London to come forward.
Jess Phillips, the Labour MP who sits on the Women and Equalities committee, called for the CPS to reopen the 2005 case, and to look into the second allegation which was dropped.
“The CPS should be looking at those cases and re-contacting the victims to ask if they would like the process restarted,” she said.
Campaigners have also suggested that the police and prosecutors ought to revisit the decision not to prosecute Ronaldo in London.
Rachel Krys, co-founder of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said 2005 was a “dark time” for prosecuting serious sexual offences, and said it was vital victims could have complete confidence in the system.
She said: “There is a strong case for the CPS re-examining any file from 2005 and ensuring the decision to drop the case then was the correct one.
“It is essential that the police and prosecution service do everything in their power to ensure justice is done.”
The footballer and his cousin, Nonu Aveiro, were arrested in October 2005 after being accused of raping two women in the penthouse suite of the Sanderson Hotel. The incident allegedly took place in the early hours of Sunday Oct 2 following a match between Manchester United and Fulham. The women, who were French, told police the star and his companion had sexually assaulted them both.
One of the women, who lived in Paris at the time, withdrew her allegation a short time later, but the Londonbased woman continued with the complaint.
The claim was investigated by Scotland Yard’s Operation Sapphire specialist rape unit, but detectives were initially unable to question Ronaldo as he was abroad.
When he returned he was interviewed for nine hours by Metropolitan Police detectives at Didsbury Police station in south Manchester. On Nov 24 the CPS announced there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case. Ronaldo, who now plays for the Italian club Juventus, has vehemently denied the allegations of rape, calling it an “abominable crime”.
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