The jury in the trial of former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, who is facing charges of assaulting his former girlfriend and her sister, was on Monday told by the prosecution that the Welsh international had a “sinister” side to him.
Giggs, 48, who has stepped down as the national team manager for Wales due to the case, faces charges of causing bodily harm to former partner Kate Greville and beating her younger sister Emma. He also faces one count of coercive and controlling behavior.
The former soccer player, who sat in the dock wearing a dark suit, has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his defense said the allegations were “based on distortion, exaggeration and lies.”
Opening the case for the prosecution, Peter Wright said there was a marked contrast between Giggs the player and the way he had behaved with his girlfriend in a “toxic relationship.”
“On the pitch his skills were abundant and a thing of beauty. Off the pitch and in the privacy of his personal life and home, and behind closed doors, there was a much uglier and more sinister side to his character,” he said.
Prosecution lawyer Peter Wright told the jury that Giggs carried out “a litany of abuse — both psychological and physical — of a woman he professed to love” during a “manipulative, toxic, damaging relationship.”
“The defendant’s behaviour became increasingly obsessive” in the relationship, Wright said, and was “calculated to erode any sense of self-worth.”
The prosecutor described an incident in which Giggs headbutted Greville and “deliberately elbowed” her sister.
Giggs is on bail on condition that he has no contact with either sister and does not go to any address where he believes they might be.
The former United favorite, who has said he looks forward to clearing his name, was first arrested and released on bail in November 2020.
Giggs’ defense, Chris Daw said he “never once used unlawful violence against Kate Greville,” saying the pair “behaved like squabbling children.”
He said that Giggs acknowledged there was “minor and accidental contact” during a tussle over a mobile phone, but denied there was a deliberate headbutt and said it was “not remotely a criminal assault.”
Daw told the jury that former United manager Alex Ferguson and Giggs’ former teammate Gary Neville would be heard from “in some way” during the trial.
Additional reporting by AFP
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