Harry Maguire: Manchester United captain given suspended jail term for assault and attempted bribery in Greece

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery in Greece.

He was handed a jail term of 21 months and 10 days following a hearing on Tuesday.

The sentence will be suspended because it was a first offence and the charges were classed as misdemeanours.

United issued a statement saying the 27-year-old “continues to strongly assert his innocence” and would appeal.

However, England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed that he would be withdrawn from the England squad in next month's fixtures against Iceland and Denmark.

The football star was arrested following a brawl on the island of Mykonos last Thursday.

Announcing his plans to contests the result of the trial, he said: “Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing.

“I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims.”

The FA announced later on Tuesday evening that Maguire would be withdrawn from the England squad.

“In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark,” Southgate said in a statement.

“As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation. Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week.”

Maguire, who is the world's most expensive defender, was released from custody over the weekend, after appearing at a hearing on Saturday morning on the nearby island of Syros.

He was not present at the subsequent court case on Tuesday, when – just hours after receiving the backing of Southgate – he was found guilty of the charges.

Maguire was not present at Tuesday's court hearing
AFP via Getty Images

Greek police had accused Maguire, his brother Joe, 28, and family friend Christopher Sharman, 29, of "violence against officials, disobedience, bodily harm, insult and attempted bribery of an official".

The 27-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, attempted to postpone the trial having only received the charge sheet two hours before.

However, it went ahead as planned and Maguire was shown no leniency by the panel of three judges.

In Pictures | Harry Maguire joins Man Utd | 05/08/2019

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The two other defendants were found guilty on similar charges and handed 13-month sentences.

The sentences for all three were suspended for three years.

The prosecution alleged Maguire and his two companions pushed police officers at the scene of the incident.

They said the trio then 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.”

Yannis Paradeisis, a lawyer representing four police officers who were allegedly assaulted in the brawl, said he was disappointed by Maguire’s behaviour.

“He is a role model to young people and a sportsman. That is not the way to behave,” he said.

“The officers I was representing were just doing their job.

“We have not heard an apology from Mr Maguire or the other two defendants.

“We all understand that someone can go on holiday and get in some kind of trouble, but it is not right to behave this way.

“The whole thing could have ended with an apology.″

Harry Maguire (second left) plans to appeal his sentence
AFP via Getty Images

But the defence hopes that an appeal will allow for more evidence to be used, including forensic proof of injuries to the defender and his sister Daisy.

Maguire was among a group of four couples that went out in Mykonos on Thursday, during which Daisy fainted after being injected in a bar by two men, the court heard.

Tensions became fraught and the group attempted to return to the villa, with the defence claiming undercover police directed the minibus to go the police station – something the group were not aware of.

A group of Greek men allegedly kicked Maguire and told him ‘your career is over’ when they got there.

Fearing he was being robbed, Maguire’s attempts to get away saw him arrested and detained, they said.

The defender denies allegation of bribery and sees any physical actions as self-defence towards individuals the group had not been aware were police officers.

Manchester United released a statement on Tuesday evening, saying: “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.

“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.”

Asked if Maguire could be dropped from the squad if found guilty, Southgate said: “I think whenever you’re in a management position, you have to make lots of decisions and you always make decisions to the best of your ability given the information that you have.

“People might agree or disagree with those decisions but, you know, I think that’s the position every manager finds themselves in and at this moment in time that’s where I am with it.

“As I said, Harry regrets the fact that he’s brought that sort of focus and attention on the team and he apologised for that.

“But he also has his own side of the story that I think will come out in time.”

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