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Harry Maguire found guilty of aggravated assault and attempted bribery
Harry Maguire has been found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and repeated attempts of bribery at a court hearing in Greece following a late night brawl in Mykonos last week.
The Manchester United captain was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days by a panel of three judges, who cited the fact that it was his first offence.
The hearing commenced on Tuesday, although Maguire was not present having been released from custody over the weekend. His lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, attempted to postpone the trial having only received the charge sheet two hours prior, but it went ahead as planned and Maguire was shown no sympathy by the judges.
The prosecution alleged Maguire, his brother, and another individual pushed police officers at the scene of the incident, attempted to break away in a van to avoid arrest, before arriving at the police department where the 27-year-old said: “I am the captain of Manchester United, I am very rich, I can give you money, I can pay you, please let us go.”
Upon announcement of the verdict, Maguire said he would appeal the court’s decision. “Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing,” he wrote in a statement. “I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims.”
Maguire spent two nights in a police cell following the altercation, which is said to have been sparked after he was taunted by rival supporters. However, Anagnostakis, a leading human rights lawyer, claimed the brawl started after Maguire’s sister was injected with an unknown substance that they feared was a rape drug by two “Albanian” men, causing her eyes to roll back in her head and the English group to attempt to be driven to the nearest hospital.
During the trial, one of the on-duty police officers claimed he had to be treated with first aid after being forcefully pushed by Maguire, who had just been handcuffed. The officer sustained injuries to his back and leg and was injected with painkillers. One of the English group allegedly also said “f***, f*** the police” and punched an officer. A second police officer gave a similar account of the events.
Maguire’s defence had at one stage claimed the English group were unaware the plain-clothed officers were in fact policeman, a claim that the prosecutor brandished as a “total lie” on Sky News following the verdict.
“It can’t be believed,” he said. ”They were taken outside the police station, there were police vehicles, they showed their police IDs. It was a total lie. How can you say ‘f**k the police to someone you think is not a policeman?”
The trio were taken to a police station, where the repeated attempts of bribery are alleged to have taken place. The defence claimed Maguire was “kicked” by officers and told his “career was over” while in custody.
England manager Gareth Southgate had named Maguire in his squad on Tuesday afternoon, despite the fact that the case was still ongoing, but admitted his decision could change following the verdict and was ultimately left with no choice but to withdraw the defender.
A statement released by the Southgate read: “In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark.”
Manchester United also released a statement, citing the fact that Maguire continues to “strongly assert his innocence” and highlighted the lack of time the defence team was given to prepare for the trial.
“Manchester United notes the verdict of the Greek court today. Harry Maguire pleaded not guilty to all of the misdemeanour charges made against him and he continues to strongly assert his innocence,” the statement read.
“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.”
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Maguire withdrawn from England squad following guilty verdict
