A-League star striker cleared of raping woman
A-League soccer star Angel Torres has been acquitted of raping a young woman he took home from a nightclub.
A NSW District Court jury in Gosford found the Central Coast Mariners striker not guilty of all charges against him on Friday after deliberating for three hours.
Colombian-born Torres earlier testified he went to Sirens nightclub at Terrigal on the Central Coast just after midnight on March 24, 2024 with other Mariners players.
He made eye contact with the woman, who was 21 at the time, and called her over.
Torres, 24, said the woman used Google translate on her phone to help them communicate before they danced and kissed.
He showed the woman his Instagram account, where he has more than 11,000 followers, and told her he played for the Mariners.
"She was saying good things about me," Torres told the jury, speaking through a Spanish interpreter.
"She said I had a nice smile and I smelt good."
The footballer said he took the woman back to his home but denied raping her.
The prosecution alleged Torres removed the women's belt and wrapped it around her neck in his bedroom and digitally penetrated her while she screamed "no, no no".
He was also accused of grabbing and pushing her up against a wall for 45 seconds.
When the woman managed to get outside, she sent a text at 2.44am to a friend saying "I need help", the court was told.
Torres followed the woman and was accused of standing over her as she sat on the road before putting his hands on her, stopping her from getting up.
The woman started screaming "help, help" and claimed Torres told her "you're going to ruin my career".
Torres denied these allegations in court, having earlier pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated sexual assault involving deprivation of liberty, intimidation intending to cause fear and two counts of assault.
The striker was stood down from his role with the Mariners following his arrest in May 2024, after joining the team at the start of the previous A-League Men's season and netting 13 goals in 23 games.
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