United States prosecutors have confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal and Juventus FC footballer, will not be facing criminal charges in the alleged case of sexual assault brought against him by former model, Kathryn Mayorga.
The case centred on a 2009 incident at a Las Vegas hotel where 34-year-old Mayorga claims Ronaldo, then of Manchester United, sexually assaulted her in his penthouse suite, a claim the player has always denied.
An out-of-court settlement was agreed in 2010 by both parties’ legal advisers, but Mayorga, presently a Physical Education teacher, sought to reopen the case ten years after the alleged incident, citing viral social media movement for rape victims, #MeToo as her inspiration.
However, the Las Vegas prosecutors have now decided not to press criminal charges against the 34-year-old former Real Madrid superstar.
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According to press statement released by the Clark County’s District Attorney Office handling the investigation and seen on their twitter handle, there would be no prosecution due to inconclusive evidence and inability to carry out “meaningful investigation”.
“The Clark County District Attorney’s office announced today that it will decline to prosecute a 10-year-old sexual assault allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo,” the statement read.
“A request for prosecution was submitted to the District Attorney’s office on July, 2018. Based upon a review of information at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming.”
Ronaldo, who paid $375,000 to Mayorga in the out-of-court settlement, would go on to spend nine successful seasons at Real Madrid, winning four more Balon d’Or titles before moving to Italy last summer.
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