Ryan Giggs: former footballer’s love poem to ex-girlfriend Kate Greville read out in court - trial latest

Ryan Giggs wrote a poem to Kate Greville where he said “pulling you was my greatest ever coo”, his trial heard.

Messages exchanged by the pair during their relationship were read to the court on Thursday.

Giggs also told the court that “stalking” was a phrase used to describe how he and Ms Greville were checking up on each other.

The former Manchester United footballer returned to the witness box on Thursday for a second day of cross-examination from prosecutor Peter Wright QC.

He is on trial at Manchester Crown Court where he denies using controlling and coercive behaviour against Kate Greville between August 2017 and November 2020, assaulting her, causing actual bodily harm, and the common assault of her younger sister Emma, 26 by elbowing her in the jaw.

He denies the charges.

What did Giggs say under questioning from the prosecutor?

Prosecutors claim Giggs, 48, headbutted Ms Greville, 38, at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on 1 November, 2020.

Mr Wright asked Giggs about the prepared statement he gave to police the day after the incident, in which he said a “scuffle” broke out over Ms Greville’s phone, and that his head clashed with hers accidentally.

The prosecutor said: “The reality is you headbutted her, didn’t you?”

Giggs said: “No.”

Mr Wright said: “Because in this dispute with her, you had, by that stage, completely lost your self control.”

Giggs repeated: “No.”

He also denied threatening to headbutt Ms Greville’s sister Emma.

The ex-Wales manager told the court he “didn’t know” why he had put in his police statement: “On both occasions I was attacked.”

He agreed with Mr Wright that it was “an important assertion to be making”.

Giggs was also asked about the line in his statement: “The last thing I would ever want to do is harm her (Ms Greville) emotionally or physically.”

Asked by Mr Wright if that was true, Giggs said: “Yes.”

Mr Wright said: “Or is it in fact that these are the two things you did intend so far as this woman is concerned?”

Giggs replied: “No.”

He agreed with Mr Wright that after the “scuffle” he had been “chastising” Emma Greville for calling the police.

Mr Wright said: “You were blaming her for what had happened, weren’t you?”

Giggs replied: “Yes.”

Mr Wright asked: “Why were you blaming Emma?”

Giggs said: “I don’t know.”

What was said about the 999 call?

Mr Wright reminded him of the 999 call Emma Greville made from the house, which started with her saying: “Assault. Headbutted her.”

The call operator asked: “Who assaulted who?”, with Giggs heard in the background saying: “You f****** caused this.”

Mr Wright asked Giggs: “You could hear her speaking on the phone?”

“Yes,” said Giggs.

Mr Wright said: “Why didn’t you say ‘that’s rubbish’ or ‘what are you talking about?’”

Giggs replied: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright added: “Or why didn’t you say ‘it was an accident’?”

Giggs said: “I don’t know.”

Emma Greville went on to say in the 999 call: “He has just headbutted her in the face. Ryan, I’m saying anything I want to f****** say. You have headbutted my sister.”

Mr Wright said to Giggs in court: “You were seeking to persuade her not to make the complaint?”

Giggs said: “Yes.”

“Why?” asked Mr Wright.

Giggs said: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright said: “What you did, I suggest, was you sought to use emotional influence on her, didn’t you?”

Giggs replied: “No.”

Mr Wright said: “Emotional blackmail, wasn’t it?”

Giggs repeated: “No.”

Mr Wright said Emma Greville also said during the 999 call: “I don’t care if your daughter is 17. I don’t care about your daughter.”

He asked Giggs: “You were seeking here to dissuade her from making that complaint?”

“Yes,” said Giggs.

Mr Wright went on: “And you were seeking to use your daughter as the lever?”

“Yes,” said Giggs.

Mr Wright said: “Why?”

Giggs replied: “I don’t know.”

What did he say about when the police arrived?

The former Wales boss agreed with Mr Wright that his “demeanour had changed” by the time police arrived and first spoke to him in the hallway of his house.

Mr Wright asked: “Why the change?”

Giggs said: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright said: “You are a completely changed man by then. Why?”

Giggs replied: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright reminded Giggs that he told an officer: “I have hit her in the lip.”

The prosecutor asked: “Why not say it was an accident?”

Giggs said: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright said: “Why not say ‘my mouth or my head or my face has caught her lip?”

Giggs responded: “I don’t know.”

Mr Wright went on: “I’m going to suggest you were saying what had happened, Mr Giggs, because you had assaulted her, hadn’t you?”

“No,” Giggs replied.

What were the messages read to the court?

Messages between Giggs, 48, and the 38-year-old PR executive were read out by his defence team at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Ms Greville sent him a message on August 30 2017 which said: “You make my heart flutter because you are a nutter.

“Every day you do me proud not just because you are well endowed.”

Giggs wrote in a message the following day: “Darling Kate. Unequivocally our love was fate.

“I fell in love with you at first sight. I remember coz I was as high as a kite.

“Those beautiful eyes, made me shiver.

“I’m not gonna lie, I think of you, I dream of you. Can’t help thinking, pulling you was my greatest ever coo.

“That stomach, those abs, those pictures you sent.

“So I can keep tabs on you, makes me feel funny down there. Especially when you are there and you look up and stare.”

“I’m beginning to think you are always right. That’s okay it will keep us tight

“I’m gonna end by saying you are my love, my friend, my soul.

“And most of all you believe in me. Which makes me feel as hard as a totem pole. Xxxxxxxx”

In another exchange on April 2017 he wrote: “Morning, I have to continually ask myself this question. How the f*** did I pull you? You are a painting, a thoroughbred, a supermodel, an absolute dream.”

Ms Greville replied: “Ha ha. You’re my world Giggsy baby.”

What was said about ‘stalking’?

Re-examining Giggs, his barrister Chris Daw QC, reminded him of a message he sent to Kate Greville in June 2020 during one of their break-ups in which he wrote: “I will stalk you like mad and you know how good I am at that (smile emoji).”

The barrister went on to read a message exchange from August 2020 in which Kate Greville wrote: “I sent you loads of messages with no reply but you have been on Instagram five minutes ago.”

Giggs replies: “Haven’t. Check itinerary.”

Kate Greville says: “Have babes. Who you talking to?”

Giggs says: “Huh?”

Kate Greville says: “You were online before and I was stalking you. Just checking who you were talking to.”

Giggs told Mr Daw the “itinerary” referred to his daily activities as then manager of Wales, which he said his ex-partner had details of at that time.

Mr Daw said: “In terms of stalking in this context, what did it mean?”

Giggs said: “It just meant we were checking up on each other.”

The trial continues.