A Greek appeals court has found Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire guilty of aggravated assault, upholding an earlier conviction and effectively ending his six-year legal battle to clear his name. The three-member panel on the island of Syros handed Maguire a 15-month and 20-day suspended prison term, reduced from the original 21 months and 10 days, and imposed a €1,500 fine.
The verdict stemmed from a bar brawl on Mykonos in 2020 involving Maguire, his brother Joe, and a friend. The prosecution lawyer, Ioannis Paradissis, said the court upheld the conviction and criticised Maguire for showing no remorse or apologising to the four policemen who sustained injuries. The higher court also applied the verdict to Maguire’s ‘accomplices’ but dropped a bribery charge against his brother.
Maguire’s defence team plans to appeal to Greece’s supreme court, though legal experts note that only points of law can be argued at that level. Under Greek law, an appeal automatically nullifies a conviction before a senior court reviews the case. This was the fifth time the retrial had convened, with previous adjournments strengthening Maguire’s determination to clear his name.
Maguire was not present in court on Wednesday and was preparing for Manchester United’s match against Newcastle. Paradissis hopes the Football Association will take disciplinary action against the player given his conviction for violence.
