Charlie Wood
Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of assault by beating his wife to the floor and kicking her in the head.
The attack on Georgia Barton took place in June 2021 at their home in southwest London, leaving Mrs Barton with a lump on her head and a bleeding nose.
Barton avoided jail time but was convicted of assault and handed a 12-week sentence, suspended for two years, meaning he will not serve time unless another crime is committed.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how the pair had been drinking with two other couples before an argument escalated.
Following Mrs Barton’s 999 call declaring that her husband had hit her, Barton was arrested in his room on the night of the attack, still intoxicated.
Later, Mrs Barton retracted her statement and provided a “no comment” interview.
However, on 25 March 2025, magistrate Paul Goldspring explained how Mr Barton’s recollections were “vague” and convicted him of assault following the two-day trial.
Prosecutors cited the call to police as “compelling evidence”, despite the Bartons claiming that alcohol had affected their judgement.
Barton strongly denied physical assault, with his defence lawyer Simon Csoka explaining to the court: “There are a number of circumstances where the injury may have been sustained accidentally.”
The trial had been due to take place in 2022 but was postponed following Mrs Barton’s letter that described how the injuries were suffered by a friend attempting to intervene.
Speaking after the hearing, Barton said he was “really disappointed” with the verdict and wanted to appeal the decision, with the couple remaining together since the incident.
The magistrate mentioned Barton’s “record of violence” in a playing career and personal life marred by controversy.
Throughout his footballing days, Barton received 114 yellow cards and nine reds cards, yet his most infamous episode came in a 3-2 defeat to title-chasing Manchester City in 2012.
In a game that will be remembered for Sergio Aguero’s heroic title-winning goal, Barton was stripped of the QPR captaincy following an elbow on Carlos Tevez and attempts to endanger both Aguero and Vincent Kompany.
Away from the pitch, Barton was never far from the headlines. In 2024, the 42-year-old was sued for libel and harassment by broadcaster Jeremy Vine.
More recently, Barton faced criticism due to his outspoken comments regarding the Sidemen Charity match on 8 March.
The game, played in front of a packed Wembley stadium, raised just shy of £5 million for charities including BBC Children in Need, but Barton took to X to complain of the “f***ing embarrassment” a week before the EFL Cup final.
Despite his conviction, the magistrate ruled that an immediate custodial sentence was unnecessary, rather, Barton was ordered to pay a victim surcharge and court costs exceeding £2000.
With plans to appeal the decision, Barton continues to divide public opinion, as his turbulent career and controversial personal life remain vivid in public consciousness.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of Wesley Tingey via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @bbclondon via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.?
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