Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs headbutted his ex-girlfriend in the face when she tried to end their relationship, she told a jury on the second day of his trial on charges of assault and coercion. Giggs, 48, who until recently coached the Wales national team, was in the dock at Manchester Crown Court for the trial that turned his managerial career upside down. The jury heard that Giggs subjected his former partner, 36-year-old PR agent Kate Greville, to a “litany of abuse, both physical and psychological” and revealed a “sinister side”.
Giggs denies the charges, which could lead to a five-year prison term. His lawyer, Chris Daw, previously said the footballer “used no unlawful force”, but admitted that his behavior was “far from perfect morally”.
‘Angry’
Greville testified from behind a screen, in response to questions from prosecutor Peter Wright.
She recounted the evening of November 1, 2020, when Giggs reportedly “lost control” and attacked her as she tried to leave the house they shared. He is also charged with habitual assault against Greville’s sister Emma, who was doing dog sitting at the time.
The prosecution has said that Giggs deliberately pushed Emma in the jaw. “I’d never seen him so angry. He was drunk,” she said, telling her how he pushed her to the ground and held her.
Emma “grabbed (Giggs) around his waist to try to pull him off,” Greville said, and “pushed his arm back to try and get her off him.”
Greville then told Giggs that she would report his attack on her to the police. “Then he came up to me and headbutted me in the face,” she said.
“I was in shock. I fell backwards. My lip immediately swelled up. All the other times it hurt me – this was different, because it was with real intentions.”
‘Cartridge’
The jury also saw reports in which Giggs accused Greville of not responding quickly to him.
He threatened to forward a video she feared was “sexual” to her colleagues, calling her a “whore.” Greville gave her numerous suspicions of his infidelity.
“Violated. I had no control over what he could do and his actions,” Greville said of her feelings.
The jury previously watched a video of the police interview Greville gave after the alleged assault. Sometimes she tearfully described a “pattern” of controlling behavior.
She said she was initially “infatuated with him”, but “there were definitely red flags from the start”.
‘Constant struggle’
“It was like a constant battle, mentally. I started to get the most terrible fear,” she said.
She described an argument early in their relationship in 2017 when the pair were at a hotel and he “literally turned around”, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her naked into the hallway. He then threw the contents of her suitcase into the hallway.
“That was the first time he was aggressive with me,” she said. Greville said she felt suicidal at one point. “I really felt like I didn’t want to go any further,” she said, crying.
She said she saw Giggs as her “savior” when they met because she was married to a man who controlled her finances and had a drinking problem.
But Giggs had made her feel “paranoid” about her own perception of their relationship, she said, causing her to question whether she was “a psychopath.”
“I was just naive, I was just vulnerable, I guess,” she added. The process continues.
A dazzling teenage talent, Giggs finished his career at Old Trafford as the most decorated player in English football history. As a player, he made a club record of 963 appearances over 23 years for Manchester United, winning 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies.
promoted
He then began his coaching career at Old Trafford, where he temporarily took charge at the end of the 2013/14 season after David Moyes was sacked, before working as an assistant to Louis van Gaal for two years.
Giggs was appointed boss of Wales in January 2018, helping them qualify for Euro 2020, just their second major tournament appearance since the 1958 World Cup.
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