Sir Geoff Boycott's ex says knighthood for man who beat her is 'disgusting'

Sir Geoff Boycott's ex said it is "disgusting" the cricketer has been knighted in light of his conviction for beating her.

The ex-England captain, now 78, was in former Prime Minister Theresa May's resignation honours list earlier this week. The decision was .

Speaking at her home near Menton, south of France, ex-partner Margaret Moore, 67, told the Sun she did not think Boycott deserved his knighthood.

She said: "He treated me appallingly.

"I will never forget that night. It was horrible. What sort of man does that and is then made a knight?

Margaret Moore, ex-girlfriend of Geoffrey Boycott shows pictures of herself after assault by Boycott (ExpressStar)

Commentator and former England and Yorkshire cricketer Geoffrey Boycott during the 2nd Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Headingley, Leeds, June 23, 2014 (Popperfoto / Getty Images)

"He should hand it back.

“I don’t understand why he was knighted. What he said about me was ridiculous."

Boycott was convicted in France in 1998 of beating computer consultant Mrs Moore in the Hotel du Cap in Antibes in October 1996.

She suffered bruising to her face and blackened eyes after being hit up to 20 times in the assault, the court found.

Margaret Moore said Geoff Boycott did not deserve his knighthood (ExpressStar)

Boycott has always denied assaulting Ms Moore, saying her injuries were from an accidental fall. He also said Margaret had been trying to blackmail him.

The French court found him guilty, fined him £5,000 and gave him a three-month suspended jail sentence.

A retrial in autumn 1998 confirmed the initial verdict.

Boycott appealed but judges upheld the conviction in 2000.

Judge Dominique Haumant, who sentenced Boycott, slammed the decision to knight him.

Geoffrey Boycott (left) and Mark Nicholas working for Channel 5 on the pitch before day one of the fifth test match at The Oval, Londo (John Walton/PA WirePA)

She said his behaviour during the trial was "arrogant" and "vulgar" as she stood by the decision to convict him.

Ms Haumant told The Guardian : "I cannot believe he's being received by the Queen. 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."

Geoff Boycott in May 2000 after losing his appeal in an assault case against Margaret Moore in the Aix-en-Provence court house, France (Daily Mirror)

The co-acting chief executive of Women's Aid, Adina Claire, said the award "sends a dangerous message" showing that "domestic abuse is not taken seriously as a crime".

Asked about the criticism, Boycott cast doubt on the credibility of the French justice system and said: "I don't care a toss about her.

"It's 25 years ago."

Opener Boycott played 108 Tests and captained England four times before retiring in 1986. He has since worked for BBC and Channel Five.