Rape probe footballers in Spanish jail
Three Leicester players remained in a Spanish jail today as investigations continued into allegations of sexual assault on three women in a hotel.
Keith Gillespie, Paul Dickov and Frank Sinclair each face a charge of “sexual aggression with penetration, which would mean rape”, a British official said.
They were remanded in custody yesterday by an investigating judge, Cartagena court officials said. The three also face charges of forced entry, understood to relate to a hotel room.
A group of men were said to have barged into a room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the upmarket La Manga sports resort and attacked the women, leaving them with multiple injuries.
A number of other Leicester players who were also arrested over the allegations arrived back in the UK last night after being released by the Spanish court.
Among them were club captain Matt Elliott, Frenchman Lilian Nalis and James Scowcroft. All three were released yesterday, with Scowcroft ordered to pay €20,000 bail and attend a Spanish consulate twice a month.
A further two players, Nikos Dabizas and Danny Coyne, were “provisionally released” following a hearing on Thursday, and a ninth player, Steffen Freund, was released earlier without charge.
Leicester manager Micky Adams refused to speak to waiting reporters at Luton Airport last night as his players were ushered by police into a waiting minibus.
The struggling Premiership club had flown its players to Spain for a warm weather break as they prepared to battle against possible relegation from the Barclaycard Premiership.
The incident has thrown the club into crisis with the prospect of having to play crucial matches without some key players and has further mired the reputation of English football in sleaze and scandal.
It is believed the players were remanded after they took part in an identification process involving the alleged victims.
Gillespie, Dickov and Sinclair could be jailed for up to 12 years if convicted of the alleged offences.
The decision to remand them was taken by the woman investigating judge hearing the case, Pilar Perez Martin, in proceedings behind closed doors.
The club’s chief operations manager, Paul Mace, said he welcomed the return of the six players and was anxious to bring home the final three as soon as possible.
He told a press conference at the Walkers Stadium yesterday: “We still have three players detained in Spain and will now be concentrating all our efforts with our legal representatives to try to secure their release as soon as is practically possible.”
Mr Mace said the club had every confidence in the Spanish judicial system and hoped the players would be freed in the next few days.
He added: “I think that the three players, in common with the other six players who have been released by police and are free to return home, have at all stages of discussions with our representatives protested their innocence in the strongest possible terms.”
He said Adams, like everyone else at the club, was shocked by what had happened.
“It has come as a very big shock to him, as it has to all of us at the football club.
“I think that without wishing to prejudge the judicial system, we are certainly not looking at the prospect of our players being kept in Spain for a matter of weeks.
“We are working around the clock to get those players home as quickly as possible.”
A full internal investigation was expected to be carried out, but the team was already back on the training ground yesterday in preparation for the next match against Birmingham on Saturday next week.
He added: “It is not a good day for Leicester City Football Club and it is not a good day for English football.
“However, what has transpired has transpired, and we have to deal with it.”
