Manchester United defender Harry Maguire's attempt to clear his name in a Greek court has been delayed once again, nearly five years after his original conviction. The 31-year-old England international was given a 21-month suspended sentence in August 2020 for assaulting a police officer on the island of Mykonos, but he immediately appealed and has maintained his innocence.
The retrial, which was due to take place on Syros on Wednesday (March 12), was postponed until October 8 after Maguire's legal team argued that he had been denied the right to understand the case file in English, as required by Greek and EU law. The panel of judges agreed to adjourn the hearing to allow court-appointed interpreters six months to translate the indictment.
Maguire was not present in court; he was represented by his Greek lawyer, Alexis Anagnostakis, who told the judges: "It is impermissible that my client has been denied the fundamental right, as set out by Greek and EU law, to understand the case file in his own language." A source close to the star said: "Harry is frustrated this is continuing to drag on after more than five years. While he remains determined and confident that he will clear his name, he remains bemused his fundamental defence rights have not begun to be addressed."
The original conviction, which included charges of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees, and insult, was nullified upon appeal, meaning Maguire does not have a criminal record. His brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman also received suspended sentences for their roles in the incident, which they have denied. The three were accused of brawling with rival fans and police outside a nightclub.
During the hearing, only one of the four police officers involved was ready to give evidence; a second officer, who has since trained as a lawyer, requested an adjournment citing illness. The prosecution lawyer had previously stated that all four officers would attend, saying they "want, finally, to see justice done." Under Greek law, the appeals court cannot impose a tougher penalty than the original suspended sentence, and could drop charges entirely or uphold the verdict.
Maguire has previously spoken about the incident, saying: "Some people will believe me, some people won't. But one thing I would say about Mykonos is that I have no regrets. My conscience is so clear about what happened that night." The retrial is now scheduled for October 8.
