LONDON, January 23: English cricket legend Geoff Boycott mounted a vigorous defence here yesterday in the face of accusations that he beat up his ex-lover Margaret Moore.A French judge gave Boycott, 57, a suspended jail term and fined him 5000 pounds (US $8,000) two days ago.
Now Boycott is to appeal against the verdict and slammed Moore's version of events, claiming that she is intent on destroying his reputation because he refused to marry her.
At a heated press conference, the embattled Yorkshireman said businesswoman Moore, 45, was bent on making money out of the allegations.
He said: "I never touched her. I have no history of violence in 57 years on anyone, a man or woman. That is a fact." The former England cricket captain said Moore had approached publicist Max Clifford and asked him to make her one million pounds from her story.
"It all hinged around me marrying her. I got sick and tired of it all and I told her that I am not the marrying kind. She can't have marriage, and she can't get
money, she wants to destroy me."
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
