Harry Maguire's appeal against his conviction for aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and attempted bribery has been accepted, leading to a full retrial in a higher Greek court, Manchester United confirmed. The club stated that the appeal means Maguire has no criminal record and is presumed innocent until proven guilty, with no international travel restrictions imposed.
The prosecution lawyer Ioannis Paradissis, representing three policemen involved in the case, suggested that an apology from Maguire could lead to the dropping of verbal and physical assault charges. However, Maguire's younger brother Laurence tweeted that there is 'absolute no chance' the player will apologise.
Paradissis noted that charges of resisting arrest and attempted bribery cannot be dropped under Greek law. The appeal process, which restarts the case before new judges, could be heard within one to two years. The original 21-month suspended sentence had been mitigated by Maguire's prior good conduct.
Maguire's defence argued that his sister Daisy had been injected with an unknown substance before the incident, and that the group acted in self-defence, unaware that the plain-clothes men were police officers. Laurence Maguire claimed that Daisy and others were not interviewed by police.
