A prosecutor representing the Greek policemen Harry Maguire was found guilty of attacking has said the footballer’s conviction could be overturned if he apologises.
Yoannis Paradissis also claimed the Manchester United captain’s 20-year-old sister Daisy said nothing about being drugged by Albanians when interviewed by police.
A key part of Maguire’s defence was that he, his brother and a friend had gone to the aid of Daisy, who fainted on a night out in Mykonos after being injected with a date-rape drug by ‘two Albanians’ they did not know, who then fled.
Maguire launched an immediate appeal yesterday after being given a suspended prison sentence for his part in the early-hours brawl on the holiday island on Friday.
Speaking about the appeals process this morning, Mr Paradissis, who represented the police officers in court yesterday, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The appeal process in Greece is a retrial, the trial starts afresh.
‘So obviously if, I believe there is still time for the three defendants to say they are sorry, and then I believe that the outcome might be different.
Greek prosecutor Yoannis Paradissis (pictured at the court in Syros yesterday) said footballer Harry Maguire’s conviction could be overturned if he apologises to the police officers
Daisy Maguire shared this photo of her with brother Harry Maguire hours before his trial started in Greece yesterday. The prosecutor said Daisy nothing about being drugged by Albanians when interviewed by police following the early-hours brawl on Friday
‘Under Greek law you can withdraw some accusations regarding non-aggravated bodily harm and concerning the verbal assault, the insults that were shouted at the policemen.’
Asked whether the police would accept this, Mr Paradissis said: ‘Well I don’t know, but they told me they are still waiting for an apology and they haven’t heard any.
‘And this is what I find quite shocking and quite unsportmanship (sic), because fair play means when I’ve done something wrong, I apologise or at least I say I’m sorry for what happened to the other person.’
Mr Paradissis added: ‘No one from the Maguire family was heard. We still haven’t heard his position, what happened, because I’m representing some policemen that have been hit, they have injuries.
‘We have the three defendants, they say they are not guilty, but on the other side they don’t explain how these injuries were made.’
Harry Maguire’s father Alan Maguire left Syros after the court case yesterday on a small boat with the footballer’s friend Ashden Morley who gave evidence.
One onlooker told MailOnline: ‘They looked completely fed up. They were wearing face masks, but their body language was that they were in a hurry to get going as the rig was being prepared to leave.’
It is thought the two men headed back to Mykonos, where the incident happened.
This morning, asked about Maguire claiming that he and his friends were the victims, Mr Paradissis said: ‘We don’t have the same definition of what a victim is then, because how can you be a victim, and the policemen that have been assaulted, hit, that were just doing their job, and they went home on the day with injuries – how can they not be a victim?
And speaking about claims Maguire’s sister had been injected with a drug, Mr Paradissis added: ‘Sure, but obviously that’s irrelevant concerning the assault committed against the police officers.
‘In any case, what is strange concerning this case about the sister is that the sister was interviewed by police and she said nothing about that to the police. This is a new line of defence that we heard recently.’
Asked if Maguire would have known the police officers were police officers, Mr Paradissis said: ‘Of course, because that’s the first thing they said. The police officers were there for other duties and they heard a brawl.
Harry Maguire’s father Alan Maguire (left, wearing glasses) left Syros yesterday on a small boat with the footballer’s friend Ashden Morley (right, in black) who gave evidence in court
Alan Maguire and Mr Morley are thought to have left Syros yesterday to head back to Mykonos
‘They heard some people fighting, so they went there to break up the fight, and they said ‘we are the police, stop fighting’. They were not in uniform, but they showed their professional IDs.’
Maguire was told he should ‘hang his head in shame’ last night after he was found guilty of attacking Greek police and then trying to bribe his way out of it.
The 27-year-old launched an immediate appeal following the conviction, saying he and his family were ‘the victims’ and he would fight to prove his innocence.
Judges heard that Maguire told officers who arrested him, his brother and a friend: ‘Don’t you know who I am? I’m the captain of Manchester United. I am very rich. I can give you money. I can pay you – please let us go.’
Last night Maguire was dropped from England’s next two matches, only hours after he had been announced in the squad.
Maguire leaves a court building on the island of Syros on Saturday before returning to Britain
Harry Maguire and his brother Joe were both convicted following the chaotic brawl in Greece
Maguire was convicted of assaulting police, verbal abuse and attempted bribery at the end of a day-long trial in front of three judges on the island of Syros yesterday.
His 21-month jail term was suspended for three years as it was his first offence and the crimes were considered ‘misdemeanours’. He was not in court.
His brother Joe, 28, was convicted of assault, attacking police and attempted bribery, while Christopher Sharman, 29, was found guilty of two assaults and verbal abuse. They each received 13-month suspended sentences.
Speaking yesterday, Mr Paradissis said: ‘Maguire is a role model, he should hang his head in shame and return to Greece to apologise.’
He said the three men were ‘liars’ who had failed to apologise for their actions.
Christopher Sharman, 29, pictured, was found guilty of two assaults and verbal abuse
In a statement after the verdict, Maguire said: ‘Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing.
‘I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims.’
Manchester United said it stood by the £190,000-a-week defender it paid a record £80million for a year ago.
The conviction could put at risk the father-of-two’s lucrative endorsements with brands such as Puma.
Maguire had been allowed to fly home after his release from custody on Saturday.
His father Alan was in court as his legal team applied unsuccessfully for the case to be adjourned.
Defence lawyer Alexis Anagnostakis claimed the three men had gone to the aid of Maguire’s sister Daisy, who fainted on a night out.
They claimed she was injected with a date-rape drug by ‘two Albanians’ they did not know, who then fled.
When plain-clothed police officers arrived on the scene, Maguire and his party mistook them for more troublemakers and a scuffle broke out.
They asked to be taken to the local hospital but instead they were driven to a police station, Mr Anagnostakis said.
At one stage police started kicking Maguire’s leg and telling him: ‘Your career is over.’
Alan Maguire (left), Harry and Joe’s father, attended the court in Greece yesterday with family friend Ashden Morley (right)
Maguire’s friend Ashden Morley told the court Maguire’s sister had been approached by ‘two Albanian-looking’ men as some of the group went to buy kebabs.
Miss Maguire’s eyes ‘rolled’ in her head, leaving the group fearing she had been injected with a date rape drug.
‘All the girls started screaming, other people were coming down and there was a real commotion,’ he said.
As they returned to their minibus to take her to hospital, they were stopped by a group of men in two cars.
‘The door was pulled open by a man,’ Mr Morley said. ‘We thought we were either being robbed or kidnapped. Everybody was very scared.’
Harry Maguire’s girlfriend Fern Hawkins (pictured together) criticised the ‘lying’ Greek police who arrested him and claimed they ‘repeatedly beat him, shouting his football career is over’
But three officers denied this. Georgios Gelebessis said he and his colleagues showed Maguire and his party their identity cards.
Christos Atreidis said he did not know who Maguire was at the time and, even if he had, ‘it wouldn’t have made any difference’.
Mickolos Kolios told the court Maguire began pushing his colleagues and was abusive.
After the verdict, Mr Paradissis told Sky News: ‘We found their behaviour totally unsportsmanlike.
‘We do understand, especially if you have been drinking and something bad happens, and then we consider that when you are a sportsman and a role model you have to accept what you have done and say you are sorry.
Footballer Harry Maguire is pictured playing for Manchester United on June 24 this year
‘They have said it was all the fault of the policemen because of police brutality and the police tried to drag them forcefully, which of course is a total lie and was not accepted by the court.
‘However, the victims – the policemen – the only thing they want is an apology and they still haven’t received one and we are totally appalled by that. The whole thing could have ended with an apology.’
Maguire’s fiancee Fern Hawkins, 26, the mother of his two young daughters, tweeted: ‘These people are trying to ruin Harry’s reputation and anyone who believes these lies is deluded.’
She added: ‘They knew who he was as they repeatedly beat him moments before, shouting his football career is over and that he would never play again. Makes me sick.’
Maguire’s brother Laurence, 23, tweeted: ‘This is crazy – anyone who knows Harry knows this whole story is fabricated.’