Police in Las Vegas has issued a warrant to obtain Christiano Ronaldo’s DNA after claims he raped a woman in the US city nine years ago.
Former school teacher Kathryn Mayorga claims that the Juventus forward raped her at his Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009 and since going public with her case this year, Ronaldo has faced intense scrutiny.
Police said in a statement that an official request has been submitted to Italian authorities for a DNA sample from the superstar player.
Earlier the Wall Street Journal reported that authorities want to check his DNA against that of some found on the dress of Ms. Mayorga.
The newspaper claims authorities have sent a warrant to the Italian courts in the hopes of being allowed to carry out the procedure.
It cites a ‘law-enforcement official with knowledge of the case’ who claims a key piece of evidence in the investigation is the dress.
After Ms Mayorga filed her civil lawsuit in September this year, Las Vegas police confirmed they had reopened their criminal investigation into the alleged sex assault.
Her lawyers have vowed to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court if needed.
Ronaldo has continuously refuted the allegations, despite a £287,000 hush-money payment to Ms Mayorga in 2010, saying that the sex was consensual.
Back in early October, Ronaldo – who had been silent until then, tweeted to say he firmly denied the claims.
‘I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.
‘Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense,’ he said.
He followed that tweet with a further message, saying that his ‘clear conscience’ will allow him to await the results of an investigation ‘with tranquility’.
At the beginning of October, it had been reported that Miss Mayorga had left the US and wanted to avoid the cameras due to her emotional state.
In a press conference given by her lawyer on October 3, Mr Stovall said that she had experienced a lot of problems following the alleged rape.
‘This is an individual who suffers from major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
‘She has a lot of problems attributable to the 2009 sexual assault and it’s been very difficult for her over the last eight or nine years.
‘In dealing with Ms Mayorga and her family we have been particularly careful and mindful of her emotional state.’
It was also reported that she had only signed the original ‘hush contract’, as she was scared of the repercussions of defying a celebrity such as Ronaldo.
‘The reason why I signed the contract in the first place (was) because I didn’t want my name out there.
‘It’s a pretty famous guy. So I’m terrified. I’m scared.’
During an interview in September, her mother Cheryl described how the alleged attack had changed her daughter.
‘It’s never left her. Every day, she lives it,’ she said.
‘There were times when she would call me and he would be on a billboard or whatever, and she would just completely disintegrate. Having to walk into a store to get a pint of milk, and you’ve got his picture everywhere.
‘He’s the soccer god that everybody thinks is just perfect and flawless. And she can’t even get out of bed some days.’
Earlier this week Jasmine Lennard vowed to assist the woman accusing alleged ex Cristiano Ronaldo of rape and reveal his ‘true nature’.
The lingerie model, 33, accused the Juventus star, 33, of asking her if she would like him to send naked photos of her to her father during a row.
She also tweeted unverified recordings she claims are Ronaldo being disparaging about women, gay people and British pop star Tulisa – but it is unclear whose voice can be heard on them.
But morning Ms Lennard’s Twitter account was closed and her bombshell claims deleted with it as Ronaldo’s team of lawyers said it ‘has been alerted’ to the series of ‘false and defamatory’ allegations made against the Portuguese footballer.
Daily Mail
