Final preliminary hearing is held before Ryan Giggs’ trial gets under way

A final preliminary hearing has been held before the trial of ex-Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs in the UK, who is accused of attacking and controlling his ex-girlfriend.

Giggs, 48, was not required to attend Manchester Crown Court on Friday morning for a pre-trial review, which dealt with preparatory matters such as witness timetabling.

His trial, estimated to last up to two weeks, starts at the same court on August 8th.

Giggs is accused of using controlling and coercive behaviour against Kate Greville, 36, between August 2017 and November 2020.

He is also charged with assaulting Ms Greville, causing her actual bodily harm, and of the common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1st, 2020.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Giggs was due to face trial in January but the hearing was put back due to the ongoing backlog of court cases exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last month, he stood down as manager of the Wales national team following a period of leave since November 2020.

In a statement, he said he did not want the country’s preparations for this year’s World Cup in Qatar to be “affected, destabilised or jeopardised in any way by the continued interest around this case”.

During Giggs’ time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups.

He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of League Two side Salford City.