Geoffrey Boycott, one of the legends of English cricket, lost his battle to clear his name yesterday when a French court confirmed his conviction as a woman-beater and handed down a suspended three-month prison sentence.
Far from vindicating the former batsman, the court at the Palais de Justice in Grasse, France, found that he had indeed assaulted his former girlfriend, Ms Margaret Moore (46), in a luxury hotel in Antibes, on the French Riviera two years ago.
Boycott, speaking from Pakistan, said he was very disappointed with the verdict. In losing his fight for a retrial to overturn his original conviction last January, the veteran England and Yorkshire cricketer was also fined 50,000 francs for assaulting Ms Moore during their row..
The 58-year-old cricketer did not attend the two-minute judgment. Boycott, who spent more than £200,000 on his retrial after being convicted in his absence in January, said: "When I went to see Fatal Attraction I never believed it could ever happen to me."
After Judge Dominique Haumant-Daumas gave her verdict, Boycott's lawyer immediately lodged an appeal. Mr Richard Naggs said: "We have lodged an immediate appeal, and there will now be a further hearing in a higher court in a few months' time.
"We always knew that it was going to be difficult with the French legal system, but Boycott knows he is innocent."
Ms Moore, who missed the brief hearing, said she was absolutely delighted with the verdict. Speaking inside the courthouse, the divorced mother of two said: "Justice has been done. It's great news. The last two years have been completely devastating and upsetting. He beat me and attacked me, and the French justice system has recognised that.
"He blackened my eyes and tried to run a smear campaign against my name."
Ms Rachel Swinglehurst, mother of Boycott's 10-year-old daughter Emma-Jane, stood behind Ms Moore as she spoke to members of the British press.
Speaking from Pakistan, Boycott said: "Obviously I am very disappointed with the court's decision. But in view of the way the trial was conducted, I suppose it is not a total surprise.
"In my view, we clearly disproved every allegation made by Margaret Moore, but obviously not in the view of the French magistrate."
During the courtroom retrial three weeks ago, Boycott denied punching Ms Moore at their £1,000-a-night hotel.
He admits the pair had a row after he refused to marry her and move to Monaco but insisted that she was injured when she slipped and fell while trying to throw his clothes from the hotel balcony.
Boycott's legal team now hopes to take an appeal in front of three judges in Aix-en-Provence, southern France. However, In a statement Ms Moore's lawyer, Mr Stephane Shoukroun, said he was confident any appeal lodged by the cricketer would fail.