Maguire given reduced 15-month suspended sentence

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended sentence by a Greek court following an incident on the island of Mykonos in August 2020.

England international Maguire was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison in 2020, after initially being found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery, violence against public employees and insult.

The following day Maguire's legal team lodged an appeal against the verdict. In accordance with Greek law, the appeal nullified his conviction and meant there would be a full retrial.

The retrial was postponed on four occasions between 2023 and 2025, before it restarted in Syros on Wednesday.

It concluded that Maguire was guilty of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery.

In accordance with the reduced severity of the defender's crimes, Maguire's sentence was reduced to 15 months.

Sources have told BBC Sport that Maguire denies wrongdoing and plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Maguire has rejected a number of opportunities to settle the case out of court, as he is determined to clear his name legally.

The 32-year-old is in the Manchester United squad for Wednesday's Premier League game at Newcastle United (20:15 GMT), despite having to come off during the win against Crystal Palace on Sunday with illness.

The retrial of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire highlighted key differences between the Greek and British criminal justice systems and explained why a case stemming from a 2020 incident is only now being heard again.

Maguire was originally convicted in 2020 by a court on the island of Syros following an altercation on the holiday island of Mykonos. He received a 21-month suspended prison sentence for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery.

However, under Greek law, when a defendant appeals against a conviction from a lower criminal court, the verdict is automatically annulled and the case is retried from the beginning. Unlike in the UK, where appeals generally examine whether legal errors occurred in the original trial, Greek appeal courts reassess the facts of the case and hear evidence again.

The retrial had been delayed several times because of procedural issues, including lawyer strikes and scheduling problems - a reflection of the heavy backlog affecting many Greek courts.

Maguire was not required to attend the hearing in person. In Greece, defendants in cases of this level can be represented by their lawyers.

Another factor is Greece's statute of limitations. For offences of this type, legal proceedings must conclude within eight years - meaning the case would expire in August 2028 if not resolved before then.