Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, has been handed a suspended 12-month prison sentence after being found guilty of abandoning his wife and two children.
The court ruled that the 43- years old abandoned Sandra Evra, his wife and their children from May 1, 2021, to September 28, 2023.
Evra was accused of owing €969,000 (£813,640) in unpaid alimony.
The French international has been ordered to pay €4,000 (£3,358) for moral damages and €2,000 (£1,679) for legal costs.
Evra, a five-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford, has reportedly lodged an appeal against the decision.
In a statement made by his lawyer, Jerome Boursican, on Friday, said: “Mr Patrice Evra filed an appeal, knowing that he provided his wife with an apartment, a house with a swimming pool in the south of France and that he lent her almost two million euros for her daily life.
READ MORE: Man Utd Legend, Patrice Evra Retires From Football
“A sum that she refuses to return, which is the reason for this trial.”
The couple, who married in 2007 and have two children together, began divorce proceedings in 2020, which remain unresolved.
INFORMATION NIGERIA learnt that in July 2020, Evra was seen kissing Danish model Margaux Alexandra, his current fiancée, with whom he now has two children.
Sandra Evra, speaking to The Sun, described the day she learned of Evra’s new relationship as the worst day of her life.
She “I was devastated, distraught. I have been left paying all my credit cards and the Netflix bill. It has taken me a long time to realise what he’s like… he has turned into a rat.”
