- The former LaLiga player has now booked a transfer to Brazilian Internacional
- The case was filed during a draw against Espanyol in April 2019
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Former Celta Vigo captain Hugo Mallo will go on trial in July for allegedly assaulting the woman who worked as Espanyol mascot Periquita in 2019.
The defender – who now plays in Brazil with Internacional de Porto Alegre – was previously due to appear in court at Barcelona’s Ciutat de la Justicia last year, but the case was postponed and is now entering its fifth year after the indictment against Mallo was submitted for the first time.
The alleged incident took place in April 2019, when Celta Vigo traveled to Catalonia to face the Periquitos at their Stage Front Stadium. It appears the former captain – who led the player onto the pitch – remains locked in what appears to be a tight embrace with the mascot.
In her victim impact statement, the person (who is referred to as ‘Ana’ but has maintained her right to anonymity) said Mallo ‘grabbed her breasts’ after reaching under her mascot suit.
‘When Hugo Mallo arrived (to greet the mascots), he gave his hand as usual to the (male) parakeet (Periquito), but when he reached Mrs. Ana, who at that moment played the role of the (female) parakeet , he put his hands under the costume and touched her breasts,” stated the victim’s first complaint to the Catalan police, Mossos d’Esquadra, filed the day after the match in question.
Hugo Mallo will face trial after being accused of alleged sexual abuse of woman acting as Espanyol’s mascot
Footage from the 2019 competition shows Mallo quickly greeting the male parakeet (left image) before hovering next to Periquita (right)
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“According to the complainant, he grabbed her breasts with his hands and started making movements.”
The alleged victim first testified in June of that year, while Mallo provided his own testimony a few days later in July 2019 – where he filed a motion to dismiss the case, which was denied.
The case was first considered sexual assault in May 2021, following an intervention by the Ninth Department of the Provincial Court of Barcelona, with a judge emphasizing that the images made it clear that “something was going on” with Periquita.
‘Although it seems to happen quickly, it takes longer than the rest of the greetings previously made to the mascot, so we do see something happening to the mascot (Periquita) and the player, as the mascot moves, (she ) takes away from the player and stands behind the male mascot,” the judge told the court.
“And we can see from the player’s position that he may have sustained these touches.”
Mallo (pictured during the April 2019 match) has now moved to Brazil to play for Internacional
Through her lawyer, the victim requests the punishment described in Article 181.1 of the Criminal Code: a fine of 24 months, which goes to the state.
The victim is said to have given up her role at the club in 2021, after working at Periquita since 2006.