Former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs, 48, has told a British jury he has never been faithful in any of his romantic relationships but he has never assaulted a woman.
Giggs began giving evidence in his defence for the first time on Tuesday at Manchester Crown Court, where he is on trial accused of assaulting his ex-partner Kate Greville, 38, and her younger sister Emma Greville, 26, on November 1 2020.
He is also accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Kate Greville, who the jury was previously told had fled to Abu Dhabi to escape the footballer, while her UAE-based employer had tried to block his emails. In another session, Ms Greville told the court Giggs assaulted her at a hotel in Dubai
The former winger's lawyer Chris Daw, calling his client to the witness box, asked Giggs if he agreed he was "well known" the world over for being a footballer.
Mr Daw added: "But you are also known for something else, you have a reputation for infidelity. Is that reputation justified?"
Giggs replied: "Yes."
Turning to the ex-Wales international's romantic life, Mr Daw asked: "In the course of your relationships with women, up to and including Ms Greville, have you managed to be faithful to any of them?"
"No," said Giggs.
The barrister asked: "If an attractive woman has shown you interest regardless of your marital status, are you able to resist?"
Giggs replied: "No."
He agreed he was a "flirt by nature" and confirmed he lied to his ex-wife Stacey and Ms Greville about his infidelities.
Turning to the allegations for which he is on trial, Mr Daw asked: "Have you ever physically assaulted a woman?"
"No," replied Giggs.
Mr Daw went on: "Either on November 1 2020 or on any other occasion?"
Giggs repeated: "No."
Mr Daw then asked: "Have you ever set out to control or coerce a woman in any way or in the ways alleged by Ms Greville?"
Again, Giggs replied: "No."
Mr Daw asked: "Did you make Kate Greville a slave to your every need and every demand as she described?" and Giggs replied: "I did not."
Giggs told jurors about his early football career, training with Manchester City before being spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson at the age of 13 and playing for the first team at Manchester United while he was still a teenager.
Giggs' glittering football career — in pictures
He spoke of meeting his now ex-wife at a barbecue when he was 18, how they started a relationship in his late 20s, moved to Worsley and had two children.
Giggs said he had a "very good" relationship with his children but, asked if he was faithful to his wife, Giggs replied: "No, I wasn't."
Around 2013-14, he first met Ms Greville while she was working for a PR company employed to look after his businesses with Gary Neville.
"The first time I met Kate I was immediately attracted to her, I thought she was attractive, I thought she was intelligent, I thought she was funny," he said.
The pair, who were both married, later swapped photos, including one of her in a cropped gym top.
They had sex for the first time on the night before a planned photo shoot in London for Cafe Football.
Ms Greville was "unhappy" in her marriage and left her husband "no longer than six months" after she and Giggs first slept together.
Giggs said he continued to stay at his family home with then-wife Stacey and their two children as the affair carried on.
Earlier, jurors heard how in a prepared statement Giggs told police his "head clashed" with his girlfriend's during a "scuffle" over a mobile phone but the blow was "not deliberate".
Giggs was interviewed by detectives the day after being arrested on suspicion of assaulting Ms Greville and her sister during an the incident at the defendant's home in Worsley, Greater Manchester.
Jurors were told on Tuesday that he provided officers with a handwritten prepared statement which began with the words "at this stage I feel very emotional about the incident".
He went on: "It is correct that unfortunately Kate and I got into an argument, which resulted in us having a tussle over my phone which she had taken.
"I accept during the tussle she caught me in the face, causing bleeding to the lip and inner mouth."
Later, he claimed that while in the utility room at the house there was a "scuffle".
"Kate Greville grabbed his hand and a scuffle developed with her sister Emma 'standing in close proximity'," the statement given to police said.
Giggs said: "I accept during this scuffle my head clashed with hers [Kate].
"I am not sure if it was the face or head but I am sure it was not deliberate."
He added the couple had been together for four years and had had their "ups and downs", but that the relationship was mainly "wonderful".
In a prepared defence statement given to police and read in court by prosecutor Peter Wright QC, Giggs denied his behaviour towards Ms Greville was "in any way controlling or coercive, nor that I have done any of the incidents in the manner described".
In response to an allegation that he had threatened to release intimate photos of Ms Greville or himself, Giggs' statement said he "didn't recall" making the threat and would "never" have released such material.
"I would be terrified of the publicity that would be generated," he said.
He also claimed Ms Greville had tried to control their relationship, including an incident when she was jealous of his "contact with other females".
"She ordered me to message certain women with whom she incorrectly accused me of having an affair," he said.
"She dictated the content of the messages and watched me while I sent them.
"I feel extremely distressed, hurt and emotional by the way this relationship is being painted to be."
Giggs denies wrongdoing and the trial continues.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
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Virtuzone GCC Sixes
Date and venue Friday and Saturday, ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City
Time Matches start at 9am
Groups
A Blighty Ducks, Darjeeling Colts, Darjeeling Social, Dubai Wombats; B Darjeeling Veterans, Kuwait Casuals, Loose Cannons, Savannah Lions; C Awali Taverners, Darjeeling, Dromedary, Darjeeling Good Eggs
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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