Maguire: Man Utd captain pleads ‘not guilty’ after leaving Greek court
Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire, has pleaded not guilty to charges after appearing in court following his arrest on the island of Mykonos.
The England defender, 27, was arrested following an alleged fight on Thursday night, along with two other Britons, aged 28 and 29.
Police said there had been an altercation and an exchange of words with officers with the three men appearing before a prosecutor on the nearby island of Syros on Saturday.
Maguire was in court for around an hour testifying to a prosecutor, where he denied all charges, and it is understood the trial has been adjourned until a hearing on Tuesday.
However, the three defendants are not obliged to attend the trial and are free to return home. Maguire left the courthouse in an unmarked van, refusing to make any comment or statement on the incident.
When asked by Sky News’ sports correspondent Martha Kelner whether Maguire was a free man, the defender’s lawyer said: “Right now. Yes.”
The prosecutor is considering three charges – aggravated assault, verbal assault and also the most serious one, the attempted bribery of an official.
Although it is unclear which of these charges specifically pertain to Maguire and which to the two other men, it could be as much as a three-year prison sentence for attempted bribery.
Speaking from the scene, Kelner said: “Unfortunately the only people who know what happened in that courtroom are Harry Maguire, the two people he was co-defendants with, and of course the prosecutor and his defence lawyer.
“The legal system here is rather opaque. These hearings are not open. Journalists are not allowed in.
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“As a consequence of that, the details of what went on inside there and what the eventual resolution was, if there was any resolution, is still unclear.
“It seems there may have been an agreement, according to Greek media reports – that Harry Maguire returns to the island of Mykonos, which is around a 50-minute boat ride from here, to apologise for what took place there on Thursday night in order for him to return to England.
“I was also speaking to someone on the ground here, and he was saying Harry Maguire has to return to the courtroom on Tuesday. But there is a chance, that hearing if it does have to happen, goes ahead without the Manchester United defender.”
A statement released by the Hellenic Police’s South Aegean region press office on Friday afternoon read: “Patrolling police officers in the area of Mykonos intervened and normalised a dispute between citizens.
“However, three foreigners involved in the incident turned against them, insulting and hitting a police officer with fists.
“The three foreigners were taken to the Mykonos Police Station, where upon their arrival they strongly resisted, pushing and beating three police officers.
“One of the detainees then tried to offer money so that the trial against them would not be completed. The arrested (men) were taken to the Syros Prosecutor’s Office.”
Manchester United released a statement shortly after confirming Maguire’s ‘not guilty’ plea, which read: “Following the appearance in court today we note the adjournment of the case to allow the legal team to consider the case file.
“Harry has pleaded not guilty to the charges. It would be inappropriate for the player or club to comment further while the legal process takes its course.”
Maguire had been on Mykonos with family and friends, having been given two weeks off following the side’s semi-final defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League on Sunday.
The club is set to open their 2020/21 Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace on September 19 – having had their start delayed by a week due to their European involvement.