Sinclair
CARTAGENA, Spain (Reuters):
A SPANISH judge ordered three Leicester City footballers jailed yesterday pending further investigation of allegations that they sexually assaulted three women at a resort hotel, court officials said.
Frank Sinclair, Paul Dickov and Keith Gillespie, who all play for the English Premier League side, were remanded in custody at a court hearing in Cartagena in southeastern Spain.
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.
Nine Leicester players were arrested and gave evidence to a judge at the Cartagena court yesterday after the three women made the allegation of sexual assault.
Leicester Executive Director Paul Mace told a news conference yesterday 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."
They were expected to be sent to the provincial prison of Sangonera in Murcia.
CHARGES
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 ($24,390).
Scowcroft and four other players who were provisionally released on Thursday and yesterday 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.
