Former footballer Joey Barton, 42, has been found guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of assaulting his wife at their family home in London in June 2021.
The ex-Manchester City and Newcastle player is now facing a prison sntence after kicking his wife in the head during a drunken row.
The assault left Georgia Barton with a ‘golf ball-sized’ lump on her forehead after being attacked following a day of heavily drinking.
Mrs Barton made a 999 call on June 2, 2021 where she told the operator: “My husband just hit me in the house.”
Joey Barton is facing a prison sentence after being found guilty of assaulting his wife
PA
Police noted that she kept making the allegation after officiers turned up at the house.
After Barton was charged with domestic violence, Georgia appeared in court to defend her husband and dropped the allegations, insisting: “I am not a victim, I have never been a victim.”
Nevertheless, Judge Paul Goldspring found Barton guilty of assault on Tuesday afternoon and made a damning statement, insisting that both he and his wife later lied about the events of June 2, 2021.
“I believe the veracity of the first account and it is supported by other evidence”, he said.
“The account on the telephone in the 999 call and to the attending officer is true.
“I reject the account by Mrs Barton over eight months later and repeated in the witness box by her.”
The judge also rejected Mrs Barton’s claims that her injuries were self-sustained and that she drank four bottles of wine, saying: “They were not being truthful about what happened.”
Barton has previously spent time behind bars when he was convicted of affray and assault in an incident in Liverpool city centre, being jailed for six months in 2008.
He also received a four-month suspended prison term in the same year after attacking his City team-mate Ousmane Dabo at the club’s training ground.
Joey Barton’s wife Georgia defended him in court despite making the initial 999 call
PA
Barton had denied the allegations in court and told the court during his trial: “If I kicked someone in the head, there would be a lot more damage than what’s alleged in this case.”
He insisted that he had went to bed and was unaware of his wife’s injuries.
His lawyer, Simon Csoka KC also told the court that Barton was either bare foot or wearing flip flops at the time.
It was also suggested that Mrs Barton’s injuries were ‘not consistent’ with being kicked in the head while on the floor.
“A kick from a professional footballer would no doubt have broken his toes”, he added.
Joey Barton received a four-month suspended prison term in 2008 after attacking his City team-mate Ousmane Dabo
PA
Barton had been out in Richmond drinking with friends during the day before returning to his home in south-west London, where his wife was with friends drinking in the garden, which continued into the evening.
An altercation between one of the couples saw he and his wife take differing views, leading to an argument, something Barton called a “stupid verbal altercation”, with “petty name calling”, and admitted to threatening to fight Mrs Barton’s dad and brother.
Prosecutor Helena Duong suggested Barton had “grabbed her, pushed her to the ground, and you kicked her to the head”.
Judge Goldspring will pass sentence on a later date to be agreed.
