According to reports, Gary Neville is being sued for contempt of court over remarks he made during his pal Ryan Giggs’ domestic abuse trial.
Judge Hilary Manley reportedly referred the former England star and Sky Sports commentator to Attorney General Suella Braverman over a remark perceived as referring to Giggs’ trial, though it is understood Neville, 47, has insisted he was speaking about the directors of their former club, Manchester United. Neville, a former player for England, is also a pundit for Sky Sports.
Neville, Giggs’ business partner and a fellow member of United’s all-defeating “Class of 92” team, was mentioned to the jury at the beginning of the case.
While Giggs’ 38-year-old ex-girlfriend Kate Greville, a 38-year-old PR executive, was being cross-examined in court without the jury present, the message was brought up.
The prosecution attorney, Peter Wright QC, stated that he had been made aware of remarks made by “a member of the public who has a direct relationship to this case,” adding that “this may be a problem that requires prompt action so far as that individual is concerned.”
Judge Manley, who yesterday stated she had referred Neville to the Attorney General, overheard the lawyers discussing the potential effects of the message, and the trial was put on hold for 50 minutes. When she returned to court, she declared that she had brought the issue to the sitting judge’s notice, or the most senior judge in the area, and that “certain steps will be taken.”
Judge Manley ruled that there was no evidence that the jury had seen the comments and therefore the trial should proceed. She had earlier cautioned the jurors to avoid letting news reports or their emotions affect their decisions and to base their decisions solely on the evidence presented in court.
In defending Giggs, Chris Daw QC said he wanted to be “crystall clear” that the football player had nothing to do with the remark.
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Neville, a Sky Sports analyst who worked with Giggs in their hospitality company and employed Ms. Greville, was never really summoned as a witness.
A fine or up to two years in prison may be imposed as punishment for the crime of contempt of court. The Attorney General’s Office states that publishing information that poses a “substantial risk” of seriously tainting a trial falls under this category. Newspapers, TV, radio, and social media are all covered under the law.
Neville has vehemently denied that any remarks he made had anything to do with the legal dispute. Gary is convinced that this was not about the case, but rather was a reference to the Glazers [Manchester United’s US owners], according to Neville’s agent Di Law, who spoke to MailOnline. Any claims to the contrary are untrue, and he will take them extremely seriously.
Giggs, 48, was accused of ‘coercively controlling’ Ms Greville for three years prior to headbutting her after a drunken argument at his £1.7 million mansion during a four-week trial.
But after spending more than 20 hours deliberating and losing one juror to sickness, the jury of seven women and four men was unable to reach a conclusion. The public interest of a retrial must now be taken into account by attorneys, although any
When she questioned Giggs about his relationships with other women, he allegedly threw her out of their home and hotel rooms and was accused of “stalking” her after their breakup by showing up at her place of employment, home, and gym in an effort to win her back. Giggs was also accused of sending emails about their sex life to her employers and of threatening to send emails to her employers about their sex life.
On November 1, 2020, Giggs allegedly headbutted the PR executive during an altercation at his mansion in Worsley, Greater Manchester after she confronted him about his adultery and claimed he had slept with eight other women behind her back.
Additionally, he was charged with hitting her sister Emma, 26, who was at the house taking care of Mac, the couple’s new cocker spaniel dog.
