The UAE-based employer of footballer Ryan Giggs's ex-girlfriend tried to block his “intense” emails because they were “interfering with her work”, a court heard.
Elsa Roodt said that Q Communications had “no other option” but to try to block emails from the former Manchester United star because his partner, Kate Greville, “couldn't do her work”.
As the second week of the trial got under way, Ms Greville’s sister, Emma, 26, also gave evidence, telling the court that Giggs said to her: “I will headbutt you next,” after he allegedly assaulted her older sister.
Manchester Crown Court jurors first heard evidence from Ms Roodt, who appeared on a video link from Dubai.
She said she started PR firm Q Communications in Dubai with Ms Greville's university friend Katie Harvey in about 2010, and employed Ms Greville to help set up their Abu Dhabi office in 2016.
“At one stage, early on in her employment, we had to call our internet provider to block Ryan Giggs's email,” she told the court.
“It was intense and Kate couldn't do her work. It was interfering with her work and we had no other option than to try and block his email.”
Ms Roodt said that when Ms Greville started working for the company she was “very bubbly, very happy”, but described a noticeable difference in her over time.
She told the court that at one point Ms Greville “started to be very distracted” and seemed “a lot more worried”, becoming preoccupied with answering her phone and “being available at all times”.
Ms Roodt was asked by prosecutor Peter Wright QC about seeing Ms Greville the day after an incident with Giggs at the Westin Hotel in 2017.
She said Ms Greville had bruises on her arm and “had been crying” and told her the pair had an argument in the hotel room.
The witness also described seeing Ms Greville with bruises on her arm after an incident in February 2020.
Emma Greville said Giggs placed his hands on her sister’s shoulders during an argument and headbutted her in the lip “with lots of force”.
“He put both his hands on Kate's shoulders and with lots of force used his head to headbutt her in the lip,” she said. “She fell to the ground screaming and covering her face.
“Afterwards he told me it was my fault he had headbutted Kate and turned to me and said 'I will headbutt you next'.
“I felt fear because he had headbutted Kate, so why would he not do the same to me.”
Giggs denies assaulting Kate Greville, causing her actual bodily harm, and assault by beating of Emma Greville.
He also pleaded not guilty to controlling and coercive behaviour against Kate Greville between August 2017 and November 2020.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More coverage from the Future Forum
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Results
International 4, United States 1
Justin Thomas and Tiger Woods (US) beat Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann (International) 4 and 3.
Adam Hadwin and Sungjae Im (International) beat Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay (US) 2 up.
Adam Scott and Byeong Hun An (International) beat Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau (US) 2 and 1.
Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan (International) beat Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed (US) 1 up.
Abraham Ancer and Louis Oosthuizen (International) beat Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland (US) 4 and 3.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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