CARTAGENA (Spain): A Spanish judge ordered three Leicester City footballers jailed on Friday pending further investigation of allegations that they sexually assaulted three women at a resort hotel, court officials said.
Paul Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie, who all play for the English Premier League side, were remanded in custody at a court hearing in Cartagena in south-eastern Spain.
They were expected to be sent to the provincial prison of Sangonera in Murcia.
The three players are accused of sexual assault, breaking and entering and failure to provide assistance by three women who said a group of men broke into their hotel room and sexually assaulted them.
Fellow Leicester City players Lilian Nalis and Matt Elliott were provisionally released without bail, but were still accused of breaking and entering and failure to provide assistance, the officer told reporters at the court.
James Scowcroft, accused of assault and breaking and entering, was released on bail of 20,000 euros (US$24,390).
Scowcroft and four other players who were provisionally released on Thursday and Friday were ordered to report to court in Spain or to Spanish consulates abroad twice a month.
Spain's penal code says sexual assault – which can include rape – carries sentences from one to 15 years.
Nine Leicester players were arrested and gave evidence to a judge at the Cartagena court on Thursday after the three women made the allegation of sexual assault.
German midfielder Steffen Freund was released without charge early on Thursday. Greek defender Nikos Dabizas and goalkeeper Danny Coyne were provisionally released, without bail but under accusation of breaking and entering and failure to provide assistance, late on Thursday.
Leicester City said on Friday the players had protested their innocence.
“We are very pleased a further three players were released today,” Leicester chief executive Tim Davies told reporters outside the court.
“We are working with our legal representatives to secure the release of the remaining three players.
“We're very confident in the Spanish legal processes and we also very confident in the innocence of our players.”
Dickov is a Scottish international player, formerly of Arsenal; Sinclair is a Jamaican international who previously played at Chelsea and Gillespie, who was a member of the famous Manchester United FA Youth Cup-winning team of 1992, represents Northern Ireland.
Leicester executive director Paul Mace told a news conference on Friday the club would “move heaven and earth” to get the remaining three players out.
“Those three players in common with the other six have at all stages protested their innocence in the strongest possible terms,” Mace said. “We are trying to get them out of there as quickly as we possibly can.”
The episode is the latest in a series of allegations of sexual impropriety involving English Premier League footballers this season. – Reuters
Paul Dickov, Frank Sinclair and Keith Gillespie, who all play for the English Premier League side, were remanded in custody at a court hearing in Cartagena in south-eastern Spain.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
