Man United legend Patrice Evra hits back after being given a 12-month suspended sentence, sharing a bizarre video showing him in HANDCUFFS and prison uniform

• Patrice Evra is said to have left his family between 2021 and 2023
• He responded to reports by dancing around a basketball court in handcuffs
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Patrice Evra has responded to sensational reports that he was given a suspended sentence for abandoning his family by posting a bizarre video on social media showing him in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit.

Judges in Paris ruled that the former Manchester United Defence lawyer Evra paid his wife Sandra Evra almost £1 million in maintenance, effectively abandoning her and their two young children between 1 May 2021 and 28 September 2023.

Lawyers for Evra, who retired from football in 2019, confirmed that an appeal had been lodged immediately after the verdict was announced on Tuesday.

Evra, 43, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay his wife €4,000 (£3,358) in non-pecuniary damages and €2,000 (£1,679) in legal and court costs.

After the news emerged, Evra took to social media and appeared to make light of the situation by dancing around a fenced-in basketball court while handcuffed.

In the video, titled “Let me stop this nonsense. Look how much fun I had in prison,” the former French national team captain also wore an afro wig, an orange prison jumpsuit, a large necklace with a dollar sign and gold dental grills.

He also used the hashtags #IloveThisGame and #Freedom and crying, laughing emojis.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Evra’s lawyer, Jerome Bouriscan, insisted that his client “disputes the facts” and insists that no payments are outstanding.

“Mr Patrice Evra appealed despite knowing that he had provided his wife with an apartment and a house with a swimming pool in the south of France and had lent her almost two million euros for her living expenses,” Boursican said.

“An amount she does not want to pay back, and that is the reason for this process.”

Representatives for Evra have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Sandra and Evra married in 2007 and have two children together: a son, Lenny, and a daughter, Maona. The former United player initiated divorce proceedings in 2020, but four years later they are still pending.

In July 2020, photos were published of Evra kissing Danish model Margaux Alexandra, his current partner, while he was still married to his wife. Evra and Alexandra are engaged and now have two children – a young son, Lilas, and a daughter.

Lawyer Nathalie Dubois, representing Sandra, told Le Parisien: “I hope that thanks to this decision, Patrice Evra will finally understand that he is not above the law and that one cannot abandon one’s wife and children overnight.”

“Even more so since they met at 15 and she followed him around the world to support his football career.”

Evra, who played 379 times for United between 2006 and 2014, was first seen with Alexandra five months after splitting from his wife. He is said to have ended their 13-year marriage after moving out of the family home in Paris.

Sandra, Evra’s childhood sweetheart after they grew up together in the Paris suburb of Les Ulis, was said to be heartbroken when he left her to work as a commentator for Sky Sports. She reportedly found out about his new relationship via social media.

She told The Sun: “It was the worst day of my life. I was devastated and desperate. I had to pay all my credit cards and the Netflix bill. It took me a long time to realise what he was like… he had turned into a rat.”

Sandra also told the magazine that she hadn’t seen Evra since January 2020, when he travelled to her second home in Battersea, London, for a “15-day business trip.” He then officially filed for a shock divorce that left her stunned on March 4.

Evra is said to have informed Sandra through his lawyer that he wanted a divorce.

Earlier this year, he was spotted kissing a mystery woman during a night out. In photos published by The Mirror, Evra can be seen getting cozy in front of other revellers outside the MNKY HSE restaurant and bar in central Manchester at 4am.