Ryan Giggs denies ‘twisting police statement to seem like a victim’

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Ryan Giggs has denied he tried to twist his police statement to make it seem like he was the victim of assault.

The former Manchester United player was being cross-examined in court about a row he had with his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville, in which he allegedly head-butted her.

Giggs, 48, is accused of controlling behaviour, as well as assaulting Ms Greville, 38, and her sister Emma, 26, in November 2020.

Speaking in court on Thursday, Giggs said he “didn’t know” why he had put in his police statement: “On both occasions I was attacked”.

Prosecuting lawyer Peter Wright QC asked Giggs about the statement, saying: “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 replied: “No.”

The court heard that Emma Greville had made a 999 call about the incident, in which she told the operator that her sister had been assaulted and headbutted.

When the call operator asked “Who assaulted who?”, Giggs can be heard in the background saying: “You f****** caused this”.

Mr Wright asked Giggs why he had not said the headbutting was an accident at the time. “I don’t know”, Giggs replied.

Giggs had told the court previously that he had a “tangle” with his ex-girlfriend and had hit her “in the lip”.

He denied that he “lost control” and assaulted Ms Greville after she confronted him about being unfaithful. He also denied causing her actual bodily harm or elbowing her sister in the jaw.

During his police interview after the incident, which was shown to the court, Giggs claimed that Ms Greville had “kicked him in the head” during their struggle.

He showed the police officer his injured lip at the time.

Mr Wright asked about a line in Giggs’ police statement, which read: “The last thing I would ever want to do is harm her [Kate Greville] emotionally or physically.”

Giggs maintained that the line was true.

Mr Wright also accused the former footballer of preparing to “get your story straight” as he waited for the arrival of police officers to his house after the incident – something Giggs also denied.

The trial continues.