Ryan Giggs trial: Ex-girlfriend could 'taste the blood' after being 'headbutted by former Manchester United star', court hears
An ex-girlfriend of Ryan Giggs has told a court he looked her "straight in the eyes" and headbutted her in the face during an alleged assault at his home.
Kate Greville said she could "taste the blood" after she was attacked by the former Manchester United star following a row at a hotel in November 2020.
Giggs is standing trial accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Ms Greville, as well as assaulting her and her younger sister Emma.
The former Wales manager denies the charges against him.
Read live updates from the trial as they happened
On the second day of his trial, Ms Greville gave evidence from behind a screen in court and became tearful as she described how Giggs would become "angry" if she was not a "good girl" during their relationship.
Among her allegations, she claimed:
• Giggs "flipped" during an incident in 2017 and "dragged" her in a hotel room while she was naked before throwing her belongings into a corridor
• The former footballer threw a bag containing a laptop at her head after she accused him of flirting with another woman in 2019
• She has photographic evidence of bruising on her body allegedly caused by Giggs during an incident on a trip to Dubai in 2020
• She discovered evidence on an iPad of eight women who Giggs allegedly cheated with during their relationship
• Giggs referred to her as "c***" in messages and told her "you don't deserve to be a parent" after she had spoken of her desire to be a mother
• The former midfielder "randomly" sent a naked photo of himself to her and she feared he could post "something of a really private nature" on a work WhatsApp group
• Giggs would call Ms Greville by the name of his ex-wife, Stacey, as his "ultimate insult"
Describing the day of the alleged assault on 1 November 2020, Ms Greville said she and Giggs had met friends at a hotel while her sister Emma looked after the couple's dog at their home in Worsley.
She said she was already planning to leave Giggs when he was due to be away with the Wales football team and she had secretly signed for a flat.
Ms Greville said she and Giggs had an argument at the hotel after she told a friend that a man had asked her out for a date.
She said Giggs asked her why she did not tell the man that she had a boyfriend and he became "angry".
Ms Greville told the court the former footballer kept telling her to apologise, adding: "I stood my ground and he stood up and stormed out.
"He left me at the table… I sat there in disbelief that he had managed to twist this and turn this on me."
Ms Greville told the court she went back to her hotel room where she discovered Giggs had packed up her belongings and he was "screaming" at her during the row.
She ordered an Uber from the hotel and her sister began packing up her belongings at the house, but Giggs arrived at the property and blocked her car with his own vehicle, the court heard.
Ms Greville told the jury: "I was saying: 'Ryan, please let me go... I just want to go'.
"I was pushing him... trying to hold him off from getting things out of the car.
"I hadn't seen him that angry before.
"He was drunk.
"I know the whole situation had sobered me up. I had had a few drinks... but what had happened had cleared my head."
Ms Greville told the court she had taken Giggs's phone because he was preventing her from leaving the property, before she then ran to get her phone before he could get to it.
She said: "He pushed me backwards and I ended up being on my back in the utility room, flat on my back, with him on top of me.
"He's pinning me down on the floor and trying to reach the phone out of my hand.
"I tried to kick my legs to get him off me."
Ms Greville said she shouted to her sister for help, saying: "Get him off me."
She told the court her sister grabbed Giggs by the waist and he pushed his arm back to get her off him and it is claimed he hit her in the jaw.
Ms Greville said Giggs managed to get her phone and then "pushed her head to the floor".
The PR agency worker said Giggs told her he had called the police and he was going to tell the officers Ms Greville had attacked him and was a "psycho."
She added: "He was really angry but quite with a cockiness to it. There was a certain baiting, he was trying to bait me basically."
Ms Greville said she told Giggs she was glad he had called the police when he then came towards her and headbutted her.
"He came at me from nowhere," she said.
"I said: 'I can't believe you've just done that'.
"I was in shock. I fell backwards.
"My lip instantly swelled.
"I could taste the blood.
"He deliberately wanted to hurt me.
"He looked me straight in the eyes and headbutted me in the face."
Ms Greville said Giggs then said to her: "You need to think about this Kate. This will ruin me and it will ruin you. Think about my job, think about my career, think about my kids.
"And I said, 'Well, you shouldn't have done it then'."
Police then arrived and Giggs was arrested, the court heard.
The trial at Manchester Crown Court was adjourned until Wednesday.
