Court orders convicted killer goalkeeper back to jail

By Andrew Downie

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The Brazilian goalkeeper who served part of a 22-year sentence for murder before returning to first-class football in April has been ordered back to prison, the country's Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday.

The Court ruled by three votes to one to overturn a February appeal ruling that had allowed Bruno Fernandes to leave jail.

"The decision re-establishes Bruno’s custody," the court said in a statement.

Fernandes, a once promising keeper who won the first division with Flamengo in 2009, was arrested in 2010 and found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, who was the mother of his son, and feeding her body to dogs.

He served seven years of a 22-year jail sentence before being released and signed by Boa Esporte, a small team in Brazil's second division.

He has played in several league games since making his debut in April after joining the club in March.

The club was not immediately available for comment. Media reports said they had cancelled Tuesday afternoon's training session.

Fernandes's lawyer, Lucio Adolfo da Silva, was quoted as saying by the UOL website that the player would present himself to police on Wednesday and that they would appeal the court's decision.

(Reporting by Andrew Downie; Editing by Toby Davis)