Former Manchester United winger and Wales manager Ryan Giggs is “relieved” at being cleared of domestic violence allegations made by his ex-girlfriend after charges were dropped. Kate Greville told police and lawyers she did not want to go through the ordeal of a second trial after jurors failed to reach verdicts in the high-profile first trial last year, Manchester Crown Court heard. Giggs, 49, was not in court on Tuesday as lawyers said there was no longer any realistic prospect of conviction and it was not in the public interest for Giggs to go on trial for a second time over allegations made by Greville and her sister Emma. Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, offered no evidence against Giggs at the 20-minute hearing as the allegations were formally dropped. Judge Hilary Manley entered “not guilty” verdicts on the charges of coercive and controlling behaviour and assault against Kate Greville and common assault of her sister. Giggs had been accused of controlling behaviour over a three-year period involving Greville. He was also accused of assault by “losing control” and headbutting Kate Greville and the common assault of Emma Greville by elbowing her in the jaw, during a row at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1 2020. Giggs denied the offences and underwent a month-long trial, ending last August when the jury failed to reach any verdicts, and a retrial was scheduled to begin on July 31. But on Tuesday, prosecutor Peter Wright KC told Manchester Crown Court that the case had been considered at the highest levels at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and a decision had been made not to proceed with a second trial. Wright said Giggs’ ex-girlfriend Greville had “indicated an unwillingness” to give evidence in a retrial as giving evidence in the first trial had “taken its toll” on her and her sister Emma. Wright said: “This is not a decision taken lightly.” Chris Daw KC, defending Giggs, said: “Mr Giggs is deeply relieved the prosecution has finally come to an end after almost three years in which he’s been fighting throughout to clear his name. “He has always been innocent of these charges – there’s been very, very many lies told about him in court.” At a series of hearings earlier this year, the court was told of difficulties the prosecution had faced in proceeding with the retrial. These included Kate Greville’s reluctance to now go through with a second trial. Earlier this month, Wright, at a court hearing which could not be reported at the time, said: “What she (Greville) has indicated is a wish not to give evidence by reason of her own mental and physical wellbeing, so seriously affected by the process. “You may recollect at the previous trial for example she gave evidence over a considerable period of time, cross-examined for what was three days, and during the course of that process she was both visibly distressed, weary, and expressed the view that she had felt violated by the defendant’s conduct and in giving evidence while maintaining her account, demonstrating a growing frustration in terms of the process. “I make the observation, a general observation, ambivalence on the part of complainants in these circumstances is not an unknown phenomenon to the courts.” Judge Manley told the prosecutor the question of whether Greville was willing to co-operate or not had to be decided. She added: “The position can’t continue indefinitely.” Wright said: “This is a matter that’s been considered at a senior level both regionally and nationally within the CPS, notwithstanding any objective assessment of the seriousness of the allegations. “What is underlying this is the further general principal consideration of the prosecution of the alleged abusive men so far as coercive and controlling behaviour is considered, the wearing down of complainants, is not to be interpreted by the public and by men as a passport to an acquittal – is that underlying question of considerable public interest that we are continuing with.” But Daw, defending Giggs, told the hearing: “As it stands, the prosecution has no case. “The position we submit is: what matters is the interests of justice. “What we have here is an attempt to cobble together a case built on hearsay and an unwilling witness almost three years after the event. “This is not about the public interest.” A spokeswoman for the CPS said: “At all stages we keep cases under careful review, to ensure our legal test is met. This means there must be a realistic prospect of conviction based upon the available evidence and a prosecution is in the public interest. “We have determined there is no longer sufficient evidence available to proceed in respect of the controlling or coercive behaviour charge and that it is no longer in the public interest to prosecute the remaining assault charges. “This decision was made following detailed discussions with Greater Manchester Police and consultation with the complainants. At no stage has she indicated that the account she gave either in her witness statement, ABE interview (achieving best evidence, the police interview during criminal investigation) or at trial, was untrue Peter Wright KC, prosecuting “It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.” During Giggs’ time at Old Trafford, Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups. Giggs stood down as Wales manager following a period of leave since November 2020. He won 64 caps for Wales and is co-owner of Sky Bet League Two side Salford. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manchester United agree deal with Inter Milan for goalkeeper Andre Onana Can England beat the weather to level Ashes series? Fourth Test talking points England may need weather check and bolder approach in fourth Test – Ben Stokes

Ridder just wanted a high-five.

David Gordon Green is heartbroken that 'The Exorcist' director William Friedkin passed away before the release of his sequel 'The Exorcist: Believer'.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US claim to have tested a potential anti-obesity treatment on mice which caused the overweight animals to slim down despite eating a high-fat, high-sugar, high-cholesterol diet

IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 18, 2023--

Board games like Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders – which are based on numbers – could make young children better at maths, new research suggests. The games are already known to enhance learning and development, including reading and literacy. But the new study suggests that for three to nine-year-olds, the format of number-based board games helps to improve counting, addition, and the ability to recognise if a number is higher or lower than another. Using board games can be considered a strategy with potential effects on basic and complex maths skills Dr Jaime Balladares, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile Researchers say children benefit from programmes – or interventions – where they play board games a few times a week supervised by a teacher or another trained adult. Lead author Dr Jaime Balladares, from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, in Santiago, Chile, said: “Board games enhance mathematical abilities for young children. “Using board games can be considered a strategy with potential effects on basic and complex maths skills. “Board games can easily be adapted to include learning objectives related to mathematical skills or other domains.” The new study aimed to compile the available evidence on the effects of board games on children, and the researchers set out to investigate the scale of the effects of physical board games in promoting learning in young children. The findings are based on a review of 19 studies published from 2000 onwards involving children aged from three to nine years. All except one study focused on the relationship between board games and mathematical skills. All of the children in the studies received special board game sessions, which took place on average twice a week for 20 minutes over one-and-a-half months. The sessions were led by adults including teachers, therapists, and parents. In some of the 19 studies, children were grouped into either the number board game or to a board game that did not focus on numeracy skills. The children’s maths skills were assessed before and after the intervention sessions that were designed to encourage skills such as counting out loud. Success was rated according to four categories including basic numeric competency such as the ability to name numbers, and basic number comprehension. The other categories were deepened number comprehension – where a child can accurately add and subtract – and interest in mathematics. The findings, published in the journal Early Years, suggest that maths skills improved significantly after the sessions among children for more than half (52%) of the tasks looked at. In nearly a third (32%) of cases, children in the intervention groups gained better results than those who did not play the board games. Dr Balladares concluded: “Future studies should be designed to explore the effects that these games could have on other cognitive and developmental skills. “An interesting space for the development of intervention and assessment of board games should open up in the next few years, given the complexity of games and the need to design more and better games for educational purposes.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 6 of the best new running shoes for summer Skin cancer cases reach record high – how to spot the signs Why do I get sick when I go on holiday?

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The Arizona Diamondbacks knocked off the best team in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays, in the series opener on Tuesday and will look to make it two straight in a battle of division leaders.The Rays have been one of the best offenses in baseball all year, but the D-Backs aren't too far behind, ...

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As per the lawsuit, Gabby Petito's parents allege that Brian Laundrie's parents knew about their daughter's death along with the location of the crime

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