Ex-SAFC player Cabral denies rape charge after £1,200 drinks spree on North East night out

A woman told a jury she was raped by a former Sunderland footballer after a night out in Newcastle.
Cabral, who played two games for the Black Cats.Cabral, who played two games for the Black Cats.
Cabral, who played two games for the Black Cats.

Cabral – Adilson Tavares Varela – denies two charges of rape last year after the woman went back to his flat with some friends and a nightclub promoter.

The jury at Hull Crown Court was told that complainant met Cabral, 27, in a Newcastle nightclub VIP room where he spent £1,200 on drinks.

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The woman admitted dancing with Cabral before taking a taxi to his home on the spur of the moment for an after-club party.

She told jurors that the girls were cold, and asked the footballer for some socks.

The woman continued: “He led the way into his bedroom. I sat on the bed. He did not get any socks. He asked me if I was drunk. I said I wasn’t.

"He turned around and pushed me down on the bed.”

She told the court that she was raped twice.

Neil Usher, prosecuting, said the woman had been out drinking and dancing at a number of nightclubs with a group of friends when she met Cabral - a Swiss international midfielder who now plays for FC Zurich.

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Cabral, 27, from Cape Verdi, signed for SAFC in the summer of 2013 and played two games for the club.

Mr Usher added: “Mr Varela bought the drinks that evening. The bill came to just over £1,200.”

Under cross examination defence barrister Kitty Turner asked the woman: “Are you someone who will identify footballers in nightclubs and sticks with them?”

She replied: “No.”

Judge Jeremy Richardson, QC, told the jury to put aside emotions about the case and ignore the defendant’s celebrity status.

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The jury was selected on the basis that they did not support ether Newcastle United or Sunderland AFC.

The jury were also asked if they knew of Adam Johnson. They all said they did not.

They were also told a former French international player would be called as a defence witness.

The case continues.