Update Sept. 15: The Greater Manchester Police have concluded their investigation into GiG's alleged actions: no charges were filed following the conclusion of the probe.
Following allegations that had surfaced two months ago, a report by Hunter Cooke of Dot Esports has found that Invictus Gaming coach Ellis "GiG" Hindle was arrested on the 11th of June for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
The original allegations were shared on the 30th of April by his ex-girlfriend, Aimee Southern. They had alleged multiple counts of assault against her over the past two years and had been released on Twitter after she had filed a police report the previous day.
While Southern has deleted her original tweet with the allegations, her Twitlonger detailing the alleged abuse has stayed up.
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Police did not confirm GiG's identity in the arrest, as per United Kingdom police guidelines. However, the police did release a statement confirming that a 21 year-old man had been arrested in relation to the same crime reference number given in emails from the police to Southern. GiG himself is 21.
According to emails from the police to Southern, GiG is currently on bail and is awaiting prosecution after having been arrested for attacking her again on the 11th of June following her allegations on the 30th of April.
"On Thursday 29 April 2021, officers received a report of an assault outside a property on Waterways Avenue, Trafford," said a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson to Dot Esports.
"Enquiries have since established a woman had been assaulted by a man. She received minor injuries that did not require hospital treatment. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of Assault. He has since been released on bail pending further enquiries."
Dot Esports reached out to GiG for a comment, but was unsuccessful.
GiG had released a statement on the 30th of April, denying the original allegations and claiming that he could prove that the allegations were false.
Upon inquiry from Dot Esports, GiG's then-employers Giants Gaming had stated that they were "going to lead a normal life" until police investigations -- started by GiG against his ex-girlfriend -- concluded.
SiegeGG reached out for comment for Invictus Gaming's stance on this matter when the Chinese organisation signed the former Giants Gaming roster, but has not yet received a response.
SiegeGG can also independently confirm that "10 or 11" messages, such as those calling her "the 'C' bomb" and those "about [her] mental health" will be used as evidence in prosecution under the Malicious Communications Act in the United Kingdom, according to Greater Manchester Police.
The compilation of evidence and presentation of both accounts of the alleged incident was set to take "two weeks or so" from the 13th of June and would be presented to the Crown Prosecution Service.
It is currently unclear as to how much Invictus Gaming and the players had been aware of the situation at the time of their signing just over a week ago.
With the timeline as described by Southern, the instances of misconduct stretch back to 2019 when GiG had been the Natus Vincere coach.
Check back here at SiegeGG as the story develops.
Update (25 Jun):
On the 25th of June, Dom Sacco of Esports News UK received confirmation that GiG is out on bail until the 9th of July. The British coach will subsequently be released with no further charges, bailed once more, or charged and then be scheduled to appear in court.
In a statement sent to Esports News UK, police said: "On Thursday 29 April 2021, police received a report that a woman had been assaulted on Waterways Avenue, Trafford. The woman sustained minor injuries, which did not require treatment. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault. He has since been released on bail pending further enquiries."
The confirmation comes after a follow-up report and inquiries from Esports News UK.
GiG had responded to Esports News UK after they had reached out on the 23rd of June, saying: "There’s no court hearing – I’m going back to the police station on July 9th and they will let me know the next course of action after reviewing all the evidence.
"So far all they’ve done is taken my statement and are gathering evidence from me to support that. That’s all I know and all I’m prepared to talk about. I’m not interested in throwing screenshots or opinions around publicly. The police have all the evidence – I’ll wait for their professional opinion on it all before anything."
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