In 1998, cricketer Geoffrey Boycott punched his girlfriend Margaret Moore 20 times in the face and body during an argument. He was convicted in a court in France and, following an appeal, his conviction was not overturned. He was guilty. He was fined and received a suspended prison sentence.
Boycott has always denied that he assaulted Moore, saying instead that she gained her injuries during a fall, but three courts agreed that the evidence was on Moore’s side and Boycott was guilty. It was a foul attack on an intimate partner and, although he immediately lost work as a result, he regained his writing and commentating work a few years later.
As is nearly always the case, a perpetrator of violence against women was briefly made an example of, then got back to business as usual with no long-term implications.
Until this week, that is, when the people who Theresa May had nominated to receive honours from the Queen were announced and Boycott was on the list. He was to receive an OBE. And sure, he’d had an impressive sporting career in the most tedious and bewildering sport that exists, but to ignore the extreme assault he had committed 21 years ago was a serious lack of judgement.
He was interviewed on the BBC’s flagship Today programme, who told him that Women’s Aid Chief Executive had called the decision to give him a knighthood “extremely disappointing”.
“I couldn’t give a toss about her”, he spurts, before calling interviewer Martha Kearney “love” in an additional spike of misogyny.
He has also lied about the French justice system, making it sound like his conviction was unsafe in some way. He said “It’s a court case in France where you’re guilty, which is one of the reasons I [didn’t] vote to remain in Europe, because you’re guilty until you’re proved innocent. That’s totally the opposite from England and it’s very difficult to prove you’re innocent in another country and another language.”
This is simply not the case; like in the UK, people accused of crimes in France are considered to be innocent unless and until they are found guilty. What can he gain from lying? On the one hand, it makes him look less guilty. On the other, it demonstrates to the world that his word cannot be trusted.
Dominique Haumant, the judge who presided over his trial at the time, told the Guardian:
“I cannot believe he’s being received by the Queen,” she said. “I’m told she will take a sword and anoint him on each shoulder. Now that I’m really shocked at. He doesn’t deserve it.
“As far as French justice is concerned, he has been found guilty of having beaten his partner three times.”
The retired judge said: “I remember this case very well and I remember the row about it even after 20 years. I saw all the photos, the evidence, the statements and if I didn’t think he was guilty I wouldn’t have convicted him.”
Theresa May idolised Boycott and his career, but this nomination cancels out all her claims to support women who are victims of domestic violence. Boycott had not just been offensive in his assault, too; referring to previous recipients of knighthoods sometimes being BAME, he said that in order to receive one himself, “I’d better black my face”.
If violence against women was not enough, surely the additional racism should have been enough of a reason to avoid giving him a gong.
Of course, it is a clear indication that, to the establishment, crimes against women can be overlooked and underplayed. It does not matter to the former Prime Minister, nor to the Queen who will be knighting Boycott, that he has a less than shiny personal history because hitting a ball with a bat with particular flair or skill apparently counteracts it. This is a culture and a society that sees itself as above the rest of us and that not only thinks it can get away with egregious behaviour, but knows – through sheer experience – that it is demonstrated that they can behave as they wish, and face few consequences at all.
Image credits: Brian Shamblen and Sigerson
