Ryan Giggs headbutted ex and threatened her sister, court hears

Former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs headbutted his ex-girlfriend and threatened to do the same to her sister, a court has heard.

The ex-Wales manager, 48, is on trial accused of controlling behaviour, as well as assaulting Kate Greville, 38, and her younger sister Emma, 26.

Emma Greville told jurors he said "I'll headbutt you next" after assaulting her sister in an argument at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester.

Mr Giggs denies all charges.

Giving evidence from behind a screen at Manchester Crown Court, Emma Greville said she saw Mr Giggs place his hands on her sister's shoulders "and with lots of force use his head to headbutt her on her lip".

She said Kate Greville screamed and fell to the floor and Mr Giggs told Emma Greville that it was "her fault" he had done it, then threatened to do the same to her.

She said she "felt fear" and that when Kate Greville told her to call the police, Mr Giggs told her not to, telling her to "think of his daughter and his career".

Earlier in her evidence, Emma Greville had described how her sister and Mr Giggs had returned to the house separately on 1 November 2020 after going out for a meal at the Stock Exchange hotel where they had planned to stay that night.

But Kate Greville had messaged her sister, who was pet-sitting at the house, to ask her to pack her things as she was leaving that night.

She said her sister arrived first and was "upset".

Mr Giggs arrived about 15 minutes later and was "annoyed" and "not happy".

She said Kate Greville had been drinking and Mr Giggs was "very drunk".

Emma Greville told the jury how the couple argued in the hallway and that she had come from the kitchen to see Mr Giggs lying on top of her sister grabbing for her phone.

Kate Greville asked her sister to "get him off me", she said.

Emma Greville described how she put her arms around his waist and pulled as her sister pushed with her legs and said, that as she did so, he "turned to the right and his elbow touched my jaw".

"As a result, I let go," she said.

She said he did not mention what had happened, "even though I was visibly upset" but he did say he was "disappointed" in her, she said.

Emma Greville said the argument between the couple continued and moved into the kitchen, where the alleged headbutt then took place.

The court also heard Emma Greville had been critical of a photograph her older sister arranged to be taken a couple of days after the alleged assault on 1 November that appeared to show her injuries.

Kate Greville previously told the court the photo was taken in an attempt to get the paparazzi off her back.

Asked about a series of messages between Kate Greville and her friend Courtney which showed the younger sister disagreed with the arrangement, Emma Greville confirmed to the court she thought it was immoral to set up a fake picture made to look genuine.

She was also asked about messages between the two sisters on 16 November, when the article was published.

In one, Emma Greville asked her sister how she felt about the article.

Kate Greville said in response, she thought she looked terrible, but that was probably a good thing as it "looks less staged".

Emma Greville responded: "I think they are good photos as it looks real".

Asked if the bruises were not real, Emma Greville told the court: "They were real."

Emma Greville was asked if she had told the police her sister had staged fake photos. She said she hadn't, but that her sister had.

The court also heard from Mr Giggs' neighbour who said he was banging on her door on the night of the alleged assault.

Linda Cheung, who had known the defendant for more than 20 years, said he was "distressed" and asked her to help him.

"He said words to affect that Kate had been accusing him of seeing other women and he wanted me to and sort her out," she said.

Regarding the accusation of him seeing other girls, she said her reaction was: "Oh Ryan, not that again."

He told her Ms Greville was refusing to leave. Mrs Cheung said she refused to go over as she did not want to get involved when she did not understand the situation. He later left.

Later, in the early hours. after she saw the police come and go, she said she saw a small white car arrive with two women and another male.

She described them "as screaming, shouting and laughing" and "running up and down the drive"

Kate Greville had the dog Mack in her arms and was talking to him.

She described the mood as "high jinks".

The court was also told a firm which employed Kate Greville had blocked Mr Giggs' emails due to the quantity he was sending her.

Elsa Roodt said the email volume was "intense" and "Kate could not do her work".

Ms Roodt, who has a public relations firm in the United Arab Emirates, was giving her evidence via a video link from Dubai.

She told the court Ms Greville had gone to help her and colleague Katie Harvey to set up a new office in Abu Dhabi in 2016.

She said Ms Greville was "happy and confident and bubbly" and had socialised when she first arrived.

But, over the two years she worked there, she said there was a "noticeable difference" and they did not spend as much time with her.

She appeared "nervous" and she was "obsessed" with her phone and being available at all times, said Ms Roodt.

She was asked about an alleged incident at a hotel in Dubai, when Mr Giggs was visiting and when she had seen Ms Greville the following day, she told her they had had some sort of "argument".

"She was very upset," she said.

Ms Roodt added she had seen bruises on Ms Greville's wrist and had asked her where they were from.

She said Ms Greville told her they had had "rough sex" after the argument.

Ms Roodt was also asked about seeing Ms Greville in February 2020 when she visited Ms Harvey's home while on holiday in Dubai with Mr Giggs.

Ms Roodt said Ms Greville described how "she had been crying all night and seemed very upset".

She said she had bruises on her arm and had said Mr Giggs had been "physical with her" in the hotel room.

Mr Giggs had phoned and messaged Ms Harvey during the two hours Ms Roodt was visiting.

Some of his messages were "loving", she said, but some were "rude".

"It was like they were coming from two different people," she said.

Under cross examination, Ms Roodt said she had met Mr Giggs about three times.

She said she had not been present during any of the couple's arguments, and having been at a wedding with the couple in Spain, she agreed he had appeared kind, friendly and sociable at that event.

The court heard Ms Greville was currently a managing partner in the UK branch of Ms Roodt's business.

The trial continues.