HARRY CHARGED
‘Sister stabbed’ before brawl with cops on hol isle Free from court but assault hearing in days Could face 3 years’ prison.. or buy freedom
‘Protecting stabbed sis in punch-up’ Three Lions ace denies all charges
ENGLAND footie ace Harry Maguire was last night facing up to three years in a Greek jail over his alleged attack on cops on party island of Mykonos.
But locals said the Manchester United skipper could dodge doing time by paying £ 90,000 – three days of his £190,000-a-week wages – if convicted.
Maguire is alleged to have attacked officers trying to break up a boozy brawl.
Yesterday, he was preparing to fly home after facing a court following two nights in custody.
The 27-year-old and two other Brits, aged 28 and 29, denied a string of charges as they were grilled by a local prosecutor for almost two hours on neighbouring island Syros.
Insults
It came as there were unconfirmed local reports that Maguire’s sister Daisy, 20, was stabbed during the melee.
And it was alleged fans of rival clubs goaded the player with insults – including taunts about the Red Devils’ 1958 Munich air disaster.
A source said: “Harry has told police he was just trying to protect his sister. He felt he was being targeted by this group, who were goading him with insults.
“He’s really struggling psychologically right now.
He’s a strong character but he never expected his holiday to turn out this way.”
It is unclear what specific charges Maguire and the other two men face.
Police say a file has been opened since Thursday night’s incident, which includes accusations of “violence against officials, disobedience, bodily harm, insult and attempted bribery of an official”. But there were last night reports the bribery rap had been withdrawn. It is understood Maguire does not need to appear in court in person next week, leaving him free to return home.
The Sunday People understands that even if found guilty, he could pay his way out of a jail stretch under a controversial Greek law designed to keep the prison population down. Greek lawyer Panagiotis Petropoulos, vice president of the
Piraeus Bar Association, said last night: “The maximum theoretical sentence for those offences could be up to seven-and-a-half years.”
But it is thought the total would more likely be three years – because a Greek court would sentence for the offences concurrently rather than consecutively in a case such as Maguire’s, should he be found guilty.
Mr Petropoulos explained: “This includes disobedience up to six months, causing bodily harm up to three years, insulting behaviour up to a year, bribery up to a year and violence against employees or court officers punishable up to two years.
“However, in the Greek penal system, any sentence up to three years can be bought on a per day basis, meaning Mr Maguire can pay a fee to avoid any jail time.”
Anyone handed a prison sentence of up to three years in Greece can pay a fine of around £90 a day, including all punitive administrative fees, for each day they would have served in jail. The figure can be as low as £4.50 – but is up to the discretion of the judge.
This means if Maguire were handed a three-year jail sentence, he could pay just over £90,000 to avoid jail.
The player left the courthouse on Syros shortly after 1pm yesterday after a hearing with a local prosecutor.
When asked three times by the Sunday People if he had apologised for his alleged wrongdoing, Maguire refused to answer. Asked if he was a free man, his lawyer said: “Right now, yes.” Maguire, who was on holiday with girlfriend Fern Hawkins, 26, brother Joe and other pals, was taken away in a car with his two co-defendants.
Boozy
The £85million defender was originally being represented by two top lawyers he chose himself.
But they were yesterday replaced by two new high-flying legal eagles hired by Manchester United, who flew in with his father from Athens on Friday.
Maguire was arrested shortly after 12.30am on Friday following a boozy brawl on Mykonos. Police claim the star and his pals became “abusive and aggressive” to officers tackling a fight. Maguire, a father of two, was earlier seen with teammates Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Brandon Williams, plus Love Island star Chris Hughes, snooker star Judd Trump and Kate Moss’s model sister, Lottie.
There is no indication that any of them were involved in the brawl, which broke out shortly after bars on the island shut at midnight.
It is believed the party started at the Santanna beach bar, where VIP tables cost £ 1,000. They then hit the Bonbonniere bar, where Maguire’s sister posted a clip of him online.
It was outside this bar, in the Fabrika
area of Mykonos Old Town, that the fight is believed to have erupted.
One shopkeeper, who witnessed the incident, said: “There were a group of Englishmen fighting but it is not an unusual thing to see in Mykonos at this time of year. It was a big group of people – ten or more.”
A police source said they were not aware of the alleged attack on Daisy.
They also denied reports the bribery allegation had been dropped.
A Man Utd spokesman said last night: “Harry has pleaded not guilty. It would be inappropriate for the player or club to comment further.”
THOUSANDS of families across the land are grieving because of the toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
They have lost parents, grandparents, partners and children.
But for some the pain has been made all the worse because of what looks like a Government cover-up.
Families who lost loved ones in England want to know if they contracted the virus in hospital.
It should not be too much for them to ask.
The Scottish government has released these figures so why can’t Westminster?
Knowing the truth is an important part of the grieving process.
But we also need to know the figures because that could prevent further deaths if there is a second wave.
Some experts believe as many as 8,000 people caught the bug on wards.
Many were then discharged without testing into care homes, where an estimated 20,000 residents have died.
If people were infected in hospital because staff did not have the right protective kit, or preventative measures were not in place, we need to know now.
Boris Johnson cannot keep hiding the truth from the public just because it is politically embarrassing.
Mr Johnson needs to stop running away and start showing some leadership.
That means ordering the release of the figures showing how many people contracted the virus in England’s hospitals.
It means ordering an inquiry as quickly as possible and putting measures in place now so further deaths can be avoided.