News Editor Ajda Ender / Harrisons
Former Manchester City and Real Madrid star Robinho has had 301 days knocked off his nine-year rape sentence after working, studying and reading books in prison.
Picture shows Robinho, undated. Reading books reduced his prison sentence. Note: Private photo. (Harrisons)
The 42-year-old former Brazil international is serving his sentence at the Limeira Resocialisation Centre in Sao Paulo state, south-eastern Brazil, with the latest 72-day reduction granted in September.
Picture shows the library of Penitentiary 2 in Tremembe, undated. Note: Private photo. (Harrisons)
Among the books Robinho read behind bars were Tristan and Isolde, Brazilian author Jorge Amado’s Captains of the Sands and Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Robinho speaks out for the first time after being convicted, undated. He claimed to be innocent. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (@robinho/Newsflash)
Brazilian prisoners can have four days deducted from their sentence for each approved book they read and are assessed on, up to a maximum of 48 days in a 12-month period.
Brazilian former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
Robinho has secured three sentence reductions since 2025, with work, education, professional training and reading together cutting 301 days from his jail term.
Brazilian former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
One earlier decision awarded him 49 days for 464 hours of secondary-school study and 11 courses, while another 20 days were deducted for reading five books.
Brazilian former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
A further 160 days were removed from his sentence on 14th January for work and studies carried out in prison, according to his lawyer Mario Rossi Vale.
Brazilian former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, (right) poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
Vale said at the time: “The reduction of Robinho’s sentence was not the result of any exceptional benefit, but the legal recognition of 160 days of sentence remission earned through study and work carried out while serving his sentence.”
Brazilian former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
The latest 72-day reduction was awarded for work, professional training, adult education studies and reading literature, although some distance-learning courses were not accepted by the court.
Former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash)
Robinho is serving nine years for taking part in the gang rape of an Albanian woman at a Milan nightclub in 2013.
Former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash)
He was convicted in Italy in 2017, with the sentence later upheld through the Italian courts, before Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice approved enforcement of the conviction in Brazil in 2024.
Former professional footballer Robson de Souza, known as Robinho, poses in undated photo. Authorities in Brazil reported they can not extradite the man to serve a nine year term for group rape handed down in Italy but they can execute that sentence in his home country on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. Note: Photo is a screenshot from a video. (Newsflash)
Robinho was initially jailed at Tremembe Prison in Sao Paulo state before being transferred to the smaller Limeira facility, which houses first-time offenders serving sentences of less than ten years who are not linked to criminal factions.
Image shows a text message, undated. Robinho claims he is innocent. Note: Private photo. (@robinho/Newsflash)
Brazilian law requires a first-time offender convicted of a heinous crime such as Robinho’s to serve at least 40 per cent of the sentence in a closed prison regime before becoming eligible to progress to a less restrictive regime.
Current calculations reported by Brazilian media indicate Robinho is expected to remain in the closed regime until at least 2027.
(Harrisons)
Loading ...