THREE Leicester City players accused of rape hope to face their alleged victims in court as a judge considers whether to release them from a Spanish prison on bail.

The encounter, which has been requested by their lawyers under the Spanish legal code, may take place today in a private court session at which Judge Jacinto Areste will preside. It will play a crucial role in his decision whether or not to free Paul Dickov, 31, Keith Gillespie, 29, and Frank Sinclair, 32, who have spent five nights in Sangonera prison, outside the city of Murcia. A lawyer at the Cartagena courthouse said that such face-to -face sessions, known as careos, are standard practice in Spain. “They can last for four hours and the purpose is to get a better idea of who is telling the truth,” he said.

The three players have been accused by three women — two Kenyans and a Malawian who live in Germany — of sexual assault at the Regency Hyatt Hotel in the La Manga golf resort on February 29. The Leicester City squad had just arrived in southeast Spain for a five-day training camp.

The women alleged that one of them was restrained by two players while a third player raped her after a group of footballers barged into their five-star room. Two of the women claimed that the encounter left them with black eyes.

Encarnación Gómez Diaz, the lawyer for the women, denied that they were prostitutes. She said that one was a marketing student, another a housewife and the third a businesswoman. They are all married and in their thirties.

The club is optimistic that the players will be freed on bail this week, in time for their Premiership match against Birmingham City on Saturday.

Senora Gómez is opposing bail. She said there would be no decision before tomorrow as both sides have asked for further evidence to be gathered and presented to the judge.

“There are witnesses, people at the Hyatt, who have not yet given their statements,” she said, referring to British press reports last week of an English couple who allegedly heard a violent confrontation taking place in an adjacent hotel room.

“Efforts are being made in this direction,” she said. “We are also waiting for the results of forensic tests.” She added: “The women are sick and tired of this and they want to go home to Germany.” More details emerged yesterday about the austere jail routine for Mr Gillespie, Mr Sinclair and Mr Dickov inside the overcrowded prison. Luis Ruipérez, lawyer for the trio, said: “The players are fine and the other prisoners are teaching them how to play football.”

The local newspaper La Opinión said: “Although the director has been careful not to grant them privileges, it is certainly the case that some minimal security measures have been adopted.”

Staff at the prison said that all three were in good spirits. They are sharing a cell together in Wing No 4, where model prisoners with a record of good behaviour benefit from a less restrictive regime.

La Opinión said: “Until now they have used the exercise yard at a separate time from the others in order to avoid any violent confrontations.”

Visiting hour privileges have not been granted either, as Nicola Wealleans, girlfriend of Mr Sinclair, can testify. She arrived at the prison on Monday afternoon in the company of James Graham Phillip, her boyfriend’s agent, but both were turned away as visits take place only at weekends.

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