Ryan Giggs cries in court as he recalls 'worst experience of my life' after spending night in cells

Footballer Ryan Giggs broke down in tears as he told a court that spending the night in a police cell was "the worst experience of my life".

The former Manchester United footballer and Wales international said he was "so scared" after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting his ex-partner Kate Greville.

Giving evidence for a second day at his trial at Manchester Crown Court Giggs told defence barrister Chris Daw QC he "just answered their questions" when police arrived at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester.

He said he had been taken to Pendleton police station by officers on November 1 2020, and said spent the night in a cell.

Giggs then started crying as he said it was the "worst experience of my life".

He told the court he got "hardly any" sleep that night and spoke to a solicitor for the first time the next day.

Giggs is on trial accused of assaulting 38-year-old Ms Greville and her younger sister, Emma Greville, 26, at his home.

He is also accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against his ex.

Earlier he told the court on the night of 1 November 2020 an argument had unfolded at a hotel after Ms Greville showed him a picture of a dress he bought for a girl she had previously accused him of "being with".

He denied being “aggressive" and said he had asked Ms Greville to leave, which she did, but he did not know where she was going.

Giggs said the concierge at the hotel gave him a lift back to his house, and when he got there he saw that the cage for dog Mac was in the boot of his other car, a Mercedes.

He told jurors he took the cage out of the car, as well as some of the dog’s blankets and toys, but denied taking anything that was not dog-related.

"I quickly worked out they were trying to take Mac," he said.

Asked by Mr Daw why he did not want them to take Mac, Giggs replied: "He’s my dog. I told them (Ms Greville and her sister Emma) they are not taking Mac, he’s my dog, he lives here, and I wanted them to leave."

Giggs said he then started moving some of Ms Greville’s bags and taking them to the end of the drive.

Giggs told the jury: “They were just not leaving. Emma was upset. Kate was messing around with Mac.

“I said I would call the police… just to scare them into going. I wanted to let them know I wanted them to go and I was serious.

“I couldn’t find my phone. I asked Kate ‘have you got my phone?’ and she replied ‘no’.”

Mr Daw asked: “Did you believe her?”

“No,” said Giggs. “I retraced my tracks and I couldn’t find it.”

Giggs put his slippers on and walked to his next-door neighbour to ask for her assistance, the court heard.

He said he was “distressed” and “frustrated” that the two women were not leaving.

He said he did not take his neighbour’s advice to stay with her or lock himself in one of his bedrooms.

Giggs told the court: “I was well within my rights to ask the girls to leave the house.”

He returned inside and tried to grab Ms Greville’s phone from her hand as she stood in the hallway, he said.

Giggs said: “I was frustrated that Kate would not give me my phone back so I tried to get her phone.

“As I went to grab the phone I’m facing the cloakroom door and Kate has her back to that door.

“We both slipped on the bags and I fell on Kate into the cloakroom.”

Mr Daw asked: “Was that deliberate on your part?”

Giggs said: “No, we just totally lost balance because we slipped on the shopping bags. My head was around her waist height. Then Kate just proceeded to kicking me in the head.”

Mr Daw asked: “Did you do anything physical?”

Giggs replied: “No, as soon as we were on the floor I was just protecting my head. After these six, seven kicks to the head, I just got up and we went our separate ways.”

Giggs said he did not see Emma Greville when the struggle took place.

Mr Daw asked: “Did you deliberately elbow Emma?”, and Giggs replied: “No.”

The former footballer said he later found his phone on a window sill near the front door.

He said he later discovered Kate Greville’s phone in the utility room and put it in his trouser pocket, adding: “It was tit for tat. If she was going to take my phone, I was going to take her phone.”

He said he moved to the kitchen where Ms Greville could see her phone was in his pocket. When he asked for her phone back, he did not give it to her, he said.

Giggs added that Kate then grabbed his wrist and led Giggs around the kitchen island.

Mr Daw asked: “How far did the two of you get around the island?”

Giggs replied: “All the way round up to the dining room table and chairs. Kate had then stopped because her back was against the chair and table. The tugging just got a little bit more aggressive… we were facing each other, it was sort of tug-of-war and we then clashed heads.

“It happened really quickly. I felt my lips against hers.”

Mr Daw asked: “What was her reaction?”

Giggs said: “I could see quite clearly she had been hurt. She just fell backwards, more towards the table.”

Mr Daw asked: “Who was becoming more aggressive?”

Giggs said: “Kate got more aggressive because she was not getting any joy from getting my wrist from my pocket.”

Mr Daw asked: “Did she (Kate Greville) say anything at that point?”

Giggs said: “No.”

Mr Daw said: “Did she say anything after that to say what had happened?”

Giggs replied: “She accused me of hitting her in the face. She accused me of headbutting her.”

Mr Daw asked: “Did you at any stage put your hands on Kate’s shoulders and forcefully and deliberately headbutt her in the face?”

Giggs said: “No, I did not.”

Mr Daw said: “Would you ever do such a thing?”

“No,” said Giggs.

Emma Greville then dialled 999, the court heard.

Mr Daw asked Giggs how he felt about the implications of being accused in this way.

Giggs said: “Confused, scared. Because it now looked like a situation that was completely different. I was scared.”

Giggs denies the charges against him. The trial continues.