Real Madrid star could face prison over explicit video of minor
According to reports, Raúl Asencio remains accused of distributing child pornography, with a court claiming there is sufficient evidence of criminal activity against him.
A judge in Spain has upheld charges against Real Madrid defender Raúl Asencio for the sharing of an explicit video of a 16-year-old girl.
As reported by Spanish newspaper El País, the Provincial Court of Las Palmas has rejected an appeal filed by Asencio, one of four Madrid then youth-team players under investigation, along with Ferran Ruiz (now with Girona), Juan Rodríguez (CD Tarazona), and Andrés García (Alcorcón).
What is Raúl Asencio accused of?
The court’s ruling states that there are “reasonable indications” of criminal activity, suggesting that Asencio may have committed both the crime of discovery and disclosure of secrets, as well as that of child pornography.
The alleged incident took place on June 15, 2023, in Mogán in Gran Canaria and was reported to Spain’s Civil Guard on September 6, 2023, by the mother of the girl, who was 16 at the time. Asencio, who is expected to play against Manchester City in the Champions League, was a relative unknown at the time, having only made his first-team debut for Real Madrid in November 2024.
An appeal to have Raul Asencio dropped as a suspect in the distribution of child pornography case has been rejected by the investigating judge. #RealMadrid #UCL (El Pais) pic.twitter.com/YPtIObLkiy
— Football España (@footballespana_) February 11, 2025
The mother claimed one of the detainees recorded an explicit video of her daughter and later distributed it. According to the complainant, the sexual activity was consensual, but the recording was not.
The judge did not accept the arguments presented by Asencio’s defense, which requested the dismissal of the case. The defense argued that the proceedings were speculative and highlighted the absence of the video in the investigation.
However, the court dismissed these points and ordered Asencio to cover the legal costs. The ruling confirms that the absence of the video file does not mean it never existed. Additionally, it notes that one of the suspects stated that Asencio showed him the video, and mobile phone records indicate it was indeed received via WhatsApp.
Finally, the ruling mentions that the inspection of the suspects’ mobile phones revealed compromising conversations between them, including derogatory and demeaning comments about the complainant.
What punishment could Raúl Asencio face?
The four players could face potential prison sentences ranging from one to five years for their alleged involvement in the case, as outlined in Article 197 of Spain’s Criminal Code.
⚪️👀🤝🏻 Raúl Asencio and Real Madrid, new deal to be agreed in the next months. https://t.co/71GkotJVXS
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 10, 2025
The severity of the penalties depends on several factors, including the victim’s age, whether the recording was consensual, if the distribution was authorized, and the specific content of the images.
If the victim did not consent to the recording (which she stated she didn’t), Article 197.1 of the Criminal Code stipulates a prison sentence of one to four years and paying a fine for 12 to 24 months for the person who recorded the video. The penalty increases, according to Article 197.3, to two to five years in prison if the recording was also distributed.
These penalties are further increased if the victim is a minor (Article 197.5 of the Criminal Code). In such cases, the sentence for non-consensual recording rises to two and a half to four years in prison and paying a fine for 18 to 24 months.
For any individual who both recorded and distributed the video, the sentence could be three and a half to five years.
However, the penalties are lower for those who only distributed the video without recording it. In this case, the punishment ranges from one to three years in prison and paying a fine for 12 to 24 months (Article 197.3). The fact the victim was a minor would increase the penalty to two to three years in prison and the paying of the fine to 18 to 24 months.
Article originally written in Spanish, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.
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