Cape Verde International, Cabral, Cleared Of Rape

Cape Verde international and former Sunderland footballer, Cabral, has been cleared of raping a woman he met in a nightclub.

Cabral, whose real name is Adilson Tavares Varela, was acquitted of two counts of rape today at Hull Crown Court.

A 22-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claimed the Cape Verde-born midfielder pinned her down and raped her after they met in a nightclub in January last year.

The 27-year-old footballer, however, insisted the pair engaged in consensual sex after they went to his flat with friends.

He was acquitted by jurors after 75 minutes of deliberation.

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC described it as a “weak case”, although he stressed he was not critical of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Cabral hit out following the outcome of the case and said it was unfair the woman was able to keep her anonymity while his reputation was on the line.

Speaking outside court, he said: “I think in England more than anywhere it’s too easy for a girl to do something like this.

“She lied all about me but she had nothing. I go in the press, I’m accused of rape, but she has nothing, you can see in the courts she lived normally, she go out, she go drink, she go party, go to after-party, life was normal for her.

“I think you need to do something about this because it’s too easy for a girl to say someone raped you, that is not sure, but their life keeps going.”

The complainant was accused of having a liking for and seeking out black footballers after footage emerged of her in bed with two Newcastle players after a night out.

Jurors heard how the woman had returned to a Newcastle flat shared by footballers

Kevin Mbabu, Rolando Aarons and Ivan Toney after a night out in the city just days before she was due to give evidence.

Giving evidence, Varela, who now plays for Swiss team FC Zurich, told the jury of five men and seven women that the woman was a liar.

He said: “I never raped her, I was not aggressive towards her.”