Calum Best’s alleged victim told a court she had a “panic attack” after the reality star allegedly “forced her hand to his crotch” while the pair were at a club.
A British tourist claimed she was sexually assaulted by George Best’s son at Wayne Lineker’s beach club in Ibiza in April 2022.
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Calum Best was seen leaving court after being tried for alleged sexual assault in Spain today Credit: Solarpix
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Reality TV star denies any wrongdoing Credit: Solarpix
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Best was spotted with his lawyer as he could face up to three years in prison if convicted Credit: Solarpix
She claimed the reality icon slid her right hand down his shorts and onto his cock after he kissed her and told her: “I’ve got something for you, close your eyes.”
Claiming there was “some sort of coercion” before she was able to pull her hand away and tell the friend she was with and raise the alarm with security at the O Beach club, she said: “The security guy asked if he was one of the Wayne Linekers friends and when I said ‘yes’ he laughed, said it happens all the time and told me he wasn’t going to call the police.”
The woman made her shocking allegations at Calum Best’s sexual assault trial today at the Audiencia Nacional court in Majorca’s capital Palma, where Spanish prosecutors have called for three years in prison if convicted.
The 42-year-old, current chairwoman of Dorking Wanderers FC women’s team, was in court to hear her evidence via video link from the UK.
She admitted she agreed to a request for a kiss on the lips after following him into the smoking room at Lineker’s famous beach club to “apologize” for a previous disagreement after her friend “accidentally” took pictures of Best in the background of a video of her friend took.
But she insisted his subsequent actions were unwanted, telling the court: “After the kiss Calum Best said he wanted to show me something, took my hand and led me around the corner and asked me to close my eyes.
“Then he lowered my right hand down his shorts and directed it towards his cock.
“My hands and his were there and he was kind of rubbing it and there was some sort of coercion, although not enough for me to not reach out and pull it out of his pants, which I did.
When asked by state prosecutor Miguel Tous if she wanted that, she replied: “No. And it wasn’t what I expected when he asked me to close my eyes and told me he had something for me.”
She added: “I went back to my friend and she asked me what was wrong because she could see something was going on.
“I remember crying and having a panic attack and immediately going to talk to the security guard afterwards.”
Calum, who won Celebrity Love Island in 2006 with Bianca Gascoigne and has starred in two series of Celebrity Big Brother, remained impassive as he listened to her recall the events of the night of April 22, 2022.
The court heard it happened on the same night he and others were celebrating Wayne Lineker’s 60th birthday at a club in the San Antonio party resort.
The London-based Best, who testified in a light gray suit over a light blue shirt, refused to answer questions from the state prosecutor or presiding judge Jaime Tartal, but agreed to be questioned by his defense attorney, Jaime Campaner.
He said he agreed to take a photo with his accuser several times, but felt “awkward” when the woman “followed” him as he went for a cigarette with an acquaintance and used the excuse of a DJ he recognized as playing to quickly leave the area.
He denied her claims that he had become angry and had previously argued with the woman over photos or videos taken without his consent.
Recalling the moment police approached him on the San Antonio waterfront about half an hour after he left the club and was taken to a nearby station, he said: “They told me why they were there and I disputed that many times. I was in absolute shock.”
Asked by Mr Campanero why he thought his accuser had raised the alarm, self-confessed teetotaler Best, whose famous father died in 2005 aged 59 from alcohol addiction, said: “I’ve thought about this a lot and the only thing I can do is worse with two.
“One was that she had already asked me for pictures several times, and I might not have returned the same energy.
“But the most important thing is that I know people get very drunk at the O Beach club and I don’t think she would have made such accusations if she hadn’t been drinking a lot.”
CCTV footage from the venue of the party that night shown to the court, although the big screen was not turned so that it could be seen by the media and the public, did not capture the moment of the alleged sexual assault, only the events immediately before and after it.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has the following advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Learn about the silent solution, by reporting abuse without speaking into the handset, instead of dialing “55”.
- Always have some cash with you, including change for a payphone or bus ticket.
- If you suspect that your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a less risky part of the house – for example, where there is an exit and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where knives or other weapons are likely to be found. Avoid rooms where you could become trapped, such as a bathroom or where you could be locked in a closet or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, the SupportLine is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during a crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid offers a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am to 6pm and weekends from 10am to 6pm.
You can also call the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
The state prosecutor, telling the court that a sentence of three years in prison is the right punishment for Best if he is convicted, insisted in a short closing speech: “For the prosecution, the manner in which the sexual assault took place has been clearly and loudly proven here today.”
He said evidence given in his favor by an acquaintance of Best’s, claiming he spent 20 or 30 seconds with the reality TV star all night long and “didn’t see anything”, was “prepared by the defendant”.
Best’s defense lawyer said the ten alcoholic drinks plus cups his accuser admitted to drinking that day was reason enough to treat her testimony with caution.
He highlighted what he described as “contradictions” in the statement she gave to police and what she told the court today, saying before judges retired to consider their verdict: “The panic attack and the tears suddenly appear in January 2024.”
He also pointed to the fact that prosecutors cited in their pretrial indictment that Best told his alleged victim to “Feel this” as he pulled her hand toward his penis, but his prosecutor did not use that phrase in her testimony in court.
After addressing the court for the last time, Calum said: “Thank you for your time and thank you for listening to my evidence.”
He left the court a free man and can leave Mallorca whenever he wants while the judges consider their verdict.
He is expected to announce his decision in writing over the next few weeks, but a date has not yet been announced.
Best is expected to appeal if convicted, and a sentencing hearing will not be held before the appeal.
In addition to the maximum possible jail sentence, Spanish state prosecutors want a restraining order against him from coming within 100 meters of the woman he is accused of targeting and trying to contact for five years.
They are also asking that he be banned from working with minors for eight years if he is convicted of the indictment.
Calum, whose father scored 181 goals in 474 appearances for Manchester United and was capped 37 times for Northern Ireland, was arrested on October 12, 2015 in the UK after a 20-year-old claimed he sexually assaulted her.
He was held at the Innside Hotel in Manchester after a night out with friends including Ex on the Beach star Ashley Cain.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed two weeks later that no further action was being taken.
Calum’s spokesperson added at the time: “Police have now investigated the matter and have taken the decision that no further action will be taken in relation to these allegations.”
Calum Best spent most of his childhood in Los Angeles where he became a model in his mid-teens.
In 2022, he appeared and jointly won the fourth series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Afterwards, he revealed that he had been helped by the series’ ousted head instructor, Ant Middleton.
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Best arrived at court this morningCredit: Solarpix
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The alleged attack is said to have taken place at O Beach Club in Ibiza, owned by Wayne Lineker, Image Credit: Instagram
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Beach club owner and brother of Match of the Day host Gary is friends with Calum Best
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Calum and Wayne are often seen together on social media posts Credit: Instagram
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The 42-year-old denies any wrongdoingCredit: Rex Features
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Calum, pictured left, is the son of Manchester United winger George Best, right Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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George died in 2005 at the age of 59 from alcohol addictionCredit: Getty
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