Thursday 18 August 2022 02:55 PM Ryan Giggs 'tried to create a narrative in which he was the victim,' assault ... trends now

Ex-Manchester United star Ryan Giggs attempted to make himself out as the 'victim' after allegedly attacking his former girlfriend and her sister during a row at his £1.7million mansion, a court today heard.

The former footballer, 48, this morning faced a second day of cross-examination from prosecutor Peter Wright QC, who probed Giggs on his statement to the police the day after the alleged assault on Kate Greville.

Mr Wright today asked the former Wales midfielder why he had put in his statement to police that:  'On both occasions I was attacked.' Speaking from the witness box, Giggs responded: 'I don't know'.

Mr Wright said: 'It is because you had at this stage lost all sense of reason and you were seeking to turn the narrative of what happened into one in which you were the victim?' Giggs said: 'No.'

Giggs also denied using 'emotional blackmail' to stop Ms Greville's sister, Emma, from calling the police on the night of the alleged assault, in November 2020.

During a 999 call made by Emma to the police, that was played to the jury earlier in the trial, she can be heard saying: 'I don't care if your daughter is 17' as she was on the phone to a call handler, the court heard.

Giggs, under questioning from Mr Wright, denied using 'emotional blackmail', but accepted he was attempting to stop Emma from calling the police. 

Mr Wright added: 'And you were seeking to use your daughter as the lever, weren't you?' 'Yes,' Giggs said again.

The ex-Premier League star is accused of assaulting ex Kate Greville - who claims Giggs 'deliberately' headbutted her - during the incident at his home in November 2020.

He is also accused of assaulting Ms Greville's sister Emma - who was dog sitting on the night of the incident and who claims Giggs elbowed her after she tried to intervene.

He denies the charges, as well as using controlling and coercive behaviour towards ex Kate during their 'toxic' six-year on-and-off relationship, and is currently on trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Today, Giggs denied headbutting his ex-partner after 'completely losing his self-control' during an argument.

Mr Wright asked Giggs about the prepared statement he gave to police the day after the incident, in which he said a 'scuffle' broke out over Ms Greville's phone, and that his head clashed with hers accidentally.

The prosecutor said: 'The reality is you headbutted her, didn't you?' Giggs said: 'No.'

Mr Wright said: 'Because in this dispute with her, you had, by that stage, completely lost your self control.' Giggs repeated: 'No.'

He also denied threatening to headbutt Ms Greville's sister Emma. The ex-Wales manager told the court he 'didn't know' why he had put in his police statement: 'On both occasions I was attacked.' He agreed with Mr Wright that it was 'an important assertion to be making'.

Giggs was also asked about the line in his statement: 'The last thing I would ever want to do is harm her (Ms Greville) emotionally or physically.' Asked by Mr Wright if that was true, Giggs said: 'Yes.'

Mr Wright said: 'Or is it in fact that these are the two things you did intend so far as this woman is concerned?' Giggs replied: 'No.'

He agreed with Mr Wright that after the 'scuffle' he had been 'chastising' Emma Greville for calling the police. Mr Wright said: 'You were blaming her for what had happened, weren't you?'  Giggs replied: 'Yes.'

Mr Wright asked: 'Why were you blaming Emma?' Giggs said: 'I don't know.'

Mr Wright also asked Giggs if he heard Emma Greville say to the 999 call operator: 'He said he is going to headbutt me'.

Mr Wright asked: 'Did you hear that allegation by her?' Giggs said: 'I'm not too sure.'

Mr Wright reminded Giggs he could be heard saying 'thanks' in the background during the emergency call.

Mr Wright asked: 'Why were you saying that?' Giggs told the court: 'I don't know.'

Mr Wright said: 'You were certainly not saying it to be grateful, were you?' 'No,' said Giggs.

Mr Wright said: 'It was said sarcastically, wasn't it?' Giggs said: 'I don't know.'

Mr Wright said: 'What you were doing was blaming her?' 'No,' replied Giggs.

It comes after Giggs yesterday broke down in court as he described staying in a police cell on the night of his arrest for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend as 'the worst experience of my life'.

The former footballer said he was 'so scared' after being taken to Pendleton police station for allegedly headbutting Ms Greville during the row at his £1.7million mansion. He added that he got 'hardly any' sleep that night and spoke to a solicitor for the first time the next day. 

Giggs also told the court yesterday that he believed PR executive Ms Greville was trying to leave his home with their cocker spaniel puppy 'Mac' on the night of the alleged assault.

He told jurors that during the row both he and Ms Greville fell to the floor after 'slipping on shopping bags' as he attempted to grab his phone from her.

Giggs claimed she kicked him 'six or seven times' in the head and that, after getting up, they engaged in a 'tug-of-war' in which they 'clashed heads'.

Earlier this week Giggs admitted in court to being a 'love cheat' who can 'never' resist an attractive woman as he admitted to cheating on his first wife with Ms Greville following his 'very public' affair with his sister-in-law.

While in the witness box, the ex-footballer admitted to being 'a flirt by nature' who has 'never' been faithful to any of his former girlfriends. 

In a candid summary of his love life, the ex-Premier League star admitted that he is 'never' able to resist an attractive woman - regardless of whether or not he is in a relationship. 

He also told jurors that he had been unfaithful to his ex-wife, Stacey Giggs during a 'very public affair' - referencing his eight-year fling with his sister-in-law that saw her fall pregnant - and a later entanglement with now ex-girlfriend Ms Greville, an affair he admitted allowed him to 'have his cake and eat it'.

However he strongly denied ever attacking Ms Greville, who has accused him of 'headbutting' her during a row at his £1.7million mansion. When asked if he had ever had ever assaulted a woman, Giggs replied: 'No'.

Yesterday the court heard how Giggs admitted to sending 'flirtatious' messages to another woman during his relationship with Ms Greville. 

The ex-Premier League star said his former partner went through his phone and found the messages before sending them to her phone and then confronting him with them.

Giggs also told the court that Ms Greville once showed him a picture of a dress he bought for a girl she had previously accused him of 'being with'. 

And while he accepted that Ms Greville had been correct in alleging he had been flirting with some women, he also told the court that there were occasions where she had 'incorrectly' accused him.

In cross examination by prosecutor Peter Wright QC, he accepted he was a 'man with many faults and flaws'. 

Meanwhile, jury members were also told by Giggs how he and Ms Greville made explicit videos together and had a 'healthy sex life' which sometimes became 'rough'. 

He said he and Ms Greville recorded X-rated videos during their relationship. When asked what he did with the videos when he and Ms Greville were going through an off period, Giggs told the court that he deleted them from his phone. 

The former Wales winger also said that when he and Ms Greville would rekindle their romance that she would then send them to him again. 

Yesterday, Giggs also told jurors how he had argued with Ms Greville at Winter Wonderland after she accused him of 'flirting' with a 'very attractive' sports presenter during a Christmas night out.

He said Ms Greville became 'uncomfortable' after he was paired with the unnamed TV presenter during a corporate crazy golf event for his agent's company. 

The group, which also involved cricket stars, then moved to Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park where they had a table of 20 booked in the Munich-style German beer hall.

But Giggs told the court he began arguing with Ms Greville during the party after she accused him of 'flirting'.

The court heard the row, in December 2019, led to an argument at the Stafford Hotel in London, where Ms Greville claims he threw a bag at her head with a laptop on it, kicked her out of bed and ejected her naked into the corridor. 

Giggs denied throwing Greville out of the room and kicking her in the back, then throwing her bag at her when she accused him of sleeping with other women.

He told the court: 'That did not happen.'

Peter Wright QC asked about photos of Ms Greville with a bruise on her wrist and knee, which Giggs said was from rough sex.

'What were your injuries from this rough, consensual sex?' he asked. 'The scratch on your neck - that was it, was it?' Giggs said: 'Yes.'

Mr Wright said: 'Sending constant unwanted messages, making constant unwanted calls to her and her friends when she tried to break off the relationship. Do you accept you did that?' Giggs said: 'Yes.'

Mr Wright said: 'Turning up unannounced at her home, workplace and gym - do you accept you did that?' Giggs repeated: 'Yes.'

Yesterday, Giggs, wearing a grey suit and standing to face the jury, entered the witness box for his second day of evidence over allegations of assault and controlling behaviour.

His barrister, Chris Daw QC, asked the former football star about the argument that started on November 1 2020 - the night the former footballer is alleged to have headbutted Kate Greville.

Giggs told the court it started at the Stock Exchange Hotel after Ms Greville said a man had asked her out the previous week.

'I just said: 'Oh, what did you say?' and Kate replied: 'I just said haven't you got a girlfriend?' 'I just said: 'That's a strange thing to say, why didn't you just say you had a boyfriend?''

Giggs said the argument escalated and he left the table and went to his hotel room, shortly followed by Ms Greville.

He told jurors: 'Kate confronted me, shoved her phone in my face and says 'Who's this?' She had an email with a girl's name at the top.'

Giggs said the email was from 2014 and it was a woman he used to work with. Ryan Giggs agreed with Mr Daw that Ms Greville had accused him of infidelity on 'many occasions'.

Mr Daw said: 'Were some of these occasions justified?' Giggs replied: 'Yes.' Mr Daw said: 'On other occasions did she accuse you of things where nothing had happened?' Giggs replied: 'Yes.'

Speaking of the hotel incident, Mr Daw said: 'Was this one in the latter category?' Giggs said: 'Yes.'

Giggs said Ms Greville showed him a picture of a dress he bought for a girl she had previously accused him of 'being with', and he asked her to leave, which she did. He denied being 'aggressive' and said he did not know where Ms Greville was going.

Giggs said the concierge at the hotel gave him a lift back to his house Worsley and when he got there he saw the dog Mac's cage was in the boot of his other car, a Mercedes.

He told jurors he took the cage out of the car, as well as some of the dog's blankets and toys, but nothing that was not dog-related. 'I quickly worked out they were trying to take Mac,' he said.

Asked by Chris Daw QC why he did not want them to take Mac, Giggs replied: 'He's my dog.  'I told them (Ms Greville and her sister Emma) they are not taking Mac, he's my dog, he lives here, and I wanted them to leave.'

Giggs said he then started moving some of Ms Greville's bags and taking them to the end of the drive.

Giggs told the jury: 'They were just not leaving. Emma was upset. Kate was messing around with Mac. I said I would call the police... just to scare them into going. 

'I wanted to let them know I wanted them to go and I was serious. I couldn't find my phone. I asked Kate 'have you got my phone?' and she replied 'no'.'

Mr Daw asked: 'Did you believe her?' 'No,' said Giggs. 'I retraced my tracks and I couldn't find it.'

Giggs put his slippers on and walked to his next-door neighbour to ask for her assistance, the court heard. He said he was 'distressed' and 'frustrated' that the two women were not leaving.

He said he did not take his neighbour's advice to stay with her or lock himself in one of his bedrooms. Giggs told the court: 'I was well within my rights to ask the girls to leave the house.'

He returned inside and tried to grab Ms Greville's phone from her hand as she stood in the hallway, he said.

Giggs said: 'I was frustrated that Kate would not give me my phone back so I tried to get her phone. 

'As I went to grab the phone I'm facing the cloakroom door and Kate has her back to that door. 

'We both slipped on the bags and I fell on Kate into the cloakroom.'

Mr Daw asked: 'Was that deliberate on your part?' Giggs said: 'No, we just totally lost balance because we slipped on the shopping bags. 

'My head was around her waist height. Then Kate just proceeded to kicking me in the head.'

Mr Daw asked: 'Did you do anything physical?' Giggs replied: 'No, as soon as we were on the floor I was just protecting my head. After these six, seven kicks to the head, I just got up and we went our separate ways.'

Giggs said he did not see Emma Greville when the struggle took place. Mr Daw asked: 'Did you deliberately elbow Emma?', and Giggs replied: 'No.'

The former footballer said he later found his phone on a window sill near the front door. Mr Daw asked: 'Were they (the sisters) showing signs they were willing to leave?'

Giggs replied: 'Not really, no. Mac was still running about.'

He said he later discovered Kate Greville's phone in the utility room and put it in his trouser pocket, adding: 'It was tit for tat. If she

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