Spanish footballer guilty of groping breasts of female mascot inside parakeet costume

A Spanish footballer has been found guilty of groping a woman’s breats while she was wearing a parakeet mascot costume at a game.

Hugo Mallo, the former captain of Celta Vigo, was convicted of sexual abuse by a judge in Barcelona following a fight for justice by his victim spanning almost five and a half years.

She had accused Mallo of groping her while she worked as Espanyol’s parakeet-themed mascot, Periquita, in April 2019 amid video footage that appeared to show him greeting her with a tight embrace.

Reproduced by Spanish media, a ruling by Judge Salvador Roi Tejedor – which refers to the victim using the pseudonym Ana – read: “Upon reaching the height of the victim, disguised as a parakeet, the accused, with the intention of satisfying his libidinous desire and of undermining the sexual indemnity of the same, put his hands under the costume and touched her breasts, forcing Ana to step back and push the accused away with her right hand.”

Mallo, who now plays for Super League Greece club Aris, was ordered to pay compensation to the woman of £844 plus interest, as well as around £8.44 a day for 20 months, totalling just over £5,000, and all costs.

She agreed to accept compensation over an offence for which Mallo could instead have been jailed for between one and three years.

Mallo announced he would appeal, maintaining repeated denials that he had groped the woman or even knew the person inside the parakeet costume was female.

The woman’s original complaint to police the day after the incident included a victim statement which read: “When Hugo Mallo arrived (to greet) the mascots, he gave his hand to the (male) parakeet (Periquito) as is usually done, but when he reached Ms Ana, who at that time was playing the role of the (female) parakeet, he introduced his hands under the costume and touched her breasts.

“According to the declarant, he grabbed her breasts with his hands and began to make movements.”