Manchester United captain and England star Harry Maguire has been found guilty of assault charges in Greece, for which he was even arrested on the island of Mykonos last week. Maguire, after court hearing, had been allowed to return to England and was subsequently even named in the England squad for UEFA Nations League.
On Tuesday, he was deemed guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult after his arrest in Greece. Maguire, who had refuted the charges, had put forth a completely different story than what the prosecution put in front of the judge and the prosecution was adjudged to be on the right side.
According to Sky News reporter Martha Kelner, Maguire’s defence claims that two Albanian men approached his sister Daisy and that they injected her with something, which caused her to faint immediately. They asked to be driven to the hospital by their van but the driver instead took them to the police department.
The defence further says that upon arrival in the police station, they were assaulted with an officer kicking Maguire on his leg and saying “your career is over.”
The prosecution, however, says, police officers in plain clothes intervened the brawl to calm down the situation but the “English men” did not calm down and one of the defendants said, “fu*k, fu*k the police” while the other punched an officer.
The prosecution also alleges that Maguire tried to bribe the police by saying, “Do you know who I am? I am the captain of Manchester United, I am very rich, I can give you money, I can pay you, please let us go.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Maguire was named in the England squad that also saw call-ups given to youngsters Phil Foden of Manchester City and Maguire’s teammate Mason Greenwood.
Harry Maguire was on Tuesday given a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days. Maguire, who did not attend the hearing on the Greek island of Syros, denied all charges and stated his intention to appeal the verdict.
“Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing. I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims,” Maguire said in a statement.
Manchester United released in an official statement shortly after the verdict fell, backing their player.
“Harry Maguire pleaded not guilty to all of the misdemeanour charges made against him and he continues to strongly assert his innocence,” the club said.
The statement added: “It should be noted that the prosecution confirmed the charges and provided their evidence late on the day before the trial, giving the defence team minimal time to digest them and prepare.
“A request for the case to be adjourned was subsequently denied. On this basis, along with the substantial body of evidence refuting the charges, Harry Maguire’s legal team will now appeal the verdict, to allow a full and fair hearing at a later date.”
The sentence is suspended for three years.
(With AFP inputs)
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