Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio sees Spanish court reject appeal in child sex abuse video scandal - with five-year prison sentence now possible

Asencio is one of four players who were initially arrested in September 2023 after a complaint was filed to police by the mother of a 16-year-old girl in regards to an alleged recording of sexual relations, according to ESPN. Real Madrid subsequently confirmed the quartet had given evidence in regards to "the sharing of a private video via WhatsApp." Asencio's lawyers then appealed against a ruling regarding whether an investigation into the video should continue but that has now been rejected by a Spanish court and it will go ahead.

Asencio is alleged to have shared a video of a sexual encounter with a women and a minor that was recorded by two former Madrid youth team players. The minor involved in the video did not consent to being recorded. Asencio will now stand trial in the Canary Islands and is facing a potential five-year jail sentence if found guilty, per TheSun.

Former Madrid youth players Ferran Ruiz, Juan Rodriguez and Andres Garcia are also under investigation and were arrested last summer. The trio left Real Madrid at the end of last season but Asencio has stayed and gone on to make 20 appearances in all competitions this season for Carlo Ancelotti's injury-hit side.

Real Madrid are currently preparing for a crunch Champions League play-off against Manchester City. Asencio is in the squad for the first leg and expected to feature at the Etihad Stadium.