Charge dropped in footballer case

William 'Winkie' Murphy is the captain of Linfield

All charges against Linfield footballer William Murphy have been dropped.

He had been accused of passing counterfeit money in Spain and was on bail.

He had been arrested earlier this year in Torremolinos on suspicion of having brought counterfeit money into Spain on a previous visit two years ago.

He had strenuously denied the original accusation, of bringing counterfeit money into the country, which carries a minimum prison sentence of eight years.

"I am delighted that the charges have been dropped and I can now get on with my life," said Mr Murphy.

His solicitor, Denis Moloney, said: "This nightmare which our client has been subjected to, along with his family and friends, is now over".

"Over the past number of weeks, detailed submissions have been made to the Spanish authorities concerning the charges against our client," he continued.

Mr Murphy would wish to express his sincere thanks to the many well wishers who showed an interest in his case Denis Moloney, solicitor

"This morning, we were informed that all charges have been withdrawn and that it is not necessary for Mr Murphy to return to Spain to face a court appearance.

"The charges were strenuously denied and the case would have been defended totally."

Mr Moloney added: "Mr Murphy would wish to express his sincere thanks to the many well wishers who showed an interest in his case and which gave him great encouragement during his weeks of imprisonment in Spain."

The footballer was imprisoned in Spain for two weeks before being released on bail.

"When I woke up in the holding cell, I thought I was dreaming," he had said previously about this experience.

"Waking up in a 10 by eight cell with bars around you, it's frightening, not a very nice experience."

'Urinating'

Mr Murphy said there six people were held in his cell.

"They were lying on the floor, people who had been drinking or fighting were coming in and just standing urinating in the corner and stuff.

He said he was only allowed out of the cell twice a day for two-hour periods.

Asked how he would have coped with an eight-year prison sentence, Murphy said: "It would be grim. I'm not even thinking about that."