Ryan Giggs had “blood around his mouth” after he allegedly headbutted his ex-girlfriend, a court has heard, as the footballer’s assault trial was shown video footage of his arrest.
The court was also played two 999 calls recorded when officers responded to reports of a “domestic disturbance” at the home of the former Manchester United star in November 2020.
Giggs is accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against his ex-girlfriend Kate Greville over a three-year period, as well as assaulting her and her sister Emma.
He denies the charges against him.
Day five of the trial as it happened
In the first call made at 10.05pm on 1 November 2020, Emma Greville can be heard telling the 999 operator: “Please can you come quickly.”
She adds: “He’s just headbutted her in the face.
“You’ve headbutted my sister.”
A woman can be heard crying in the background before Emma Greville tells the call operator she thinks Giggs “might have done a runner”.
She adds: “He headbutted her lip I think. She has got blood everywhere.”
More crying can be heard in the background and the call operator asks why the alleged victim is screaming.
“Because she’s in so much pain,” Emma Greville replies.
“She’s been headbutted in the lip.”
In a second 999 call, which began at 10.11pm, Emma Greville tells the operator that the alleged offender is “Ryan Giggs, footballer Ryan Giggs”.
The operator responds: “As in the Ryan Giggs?”
She replies: “Yes.”
Emma Greville later adds: “He’s coming back now. Can you come quick please?
“Because he’s said he’s going to headbutt me. He’s coming back.”
In the background, Giggs can be heard saying: “Kate, all I wanted was my phone, now we will be…”
The 999 call operator asks Emma Greville if an ambulance is needed and if the alleged victim has broken her jaw.
She replies: “I couldn’t say. He headbutted her right in the face so I can’t say.
“He’s screaming and shouting. I need them to come quickly.”
In a statement read to the court, a police officer called PC Howarth said that when he arrived at the property Giggs was at the door and “had blood around his mouth”.
He said Kate Greville was sitting on the floor of the kitchen and was “visibly upset”.
“I could see straight away she had a swollen top and bottom lip with significant bruising,” the officer said.
Police bodycam footage that shows an officer walking into Giggs’s property as he stands near the door was also played in court.
Giggs, wearing a white shirt, tells the officer he has been out for a meal with his then-partner and had a “few drinks in town”, while her sister looked after their dog at the house.
He says he and Kate Greville have had an argument and she had “accused me of a couple of things”.
Giggs tells the officer that he had asked her to leave the property and she had his phone and they “got into a little bit of a tangle”.
He says he tried to get his phone off her and there was a “struggle on the floor”.
Giggs says “she kicked me in the head” and “bust my lip”.
The officer asks: “What’s your name, mate?”
He replies: “Ryan Giggs.”
An officer tells Giggs there is “an allegation of assault” and the ex-footballer is going to be arrested and taken to a police station.
There is no reaction from Giggs as the officer speaks to him.
In the footage he is then walked to a police van, which he gets into.
Giving evidence in court, PC Billington, who arrested Giggs, said he believed he was “intoxicated” because he was slow responding to questions and his “eyes appeared slightly glazed”.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court continues.
