Joey Barton and his wife, Georgia McNeil appeared in court on Monday to begin his trial for beating his wife following a drinking binge at their Kew residence.
The former Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Burnley player arrived at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, where his assault by beating trial is ongoing.
The court previously heard allegations that after consuming four bottles of wine, Barton attacked his wife and left a bump the size of a “golf ball” on her head. The accusations are denied by Barton.
Georgia, 36, was seen accompanying the 39-year-old Bristol Rovers manager as he arrived at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on October 31, 2022.
Two days before their wedding anniversary on June 2 of last year, Barton allegedly battered her at a home in southwest London.
The trial was put on hold when Mrs. Barton claimed in a letter that she was harmed accidentally after drinking “four or five bottles of wine each” during a “drunken argument.”
Her husband’s attorney, Simon Csoka QC, testified in court today that in March she claimed she was hurt unintentionally when friends started a fight outside their house.
In March, prosecutor Helena Duong stated: “On the evening of June 2, at 20:14, Mrs. Barton contacted 999 and reported that she had just been struck in her home by her husband. She requested that police officers come immediately.”
When the police arrive at 23:38, they speak with her as she waits outside the house for them to show up. Alongside her is another pal.
She presents her first comprehensive description of what she claims occurred, and in that story, she claims that she and her husband had gotten into a drunken argument over their respective families during which she was punched, kicked, and other things.
Then she displays to the officers a head wound that a police officer described as a golf ball-sized bump.
She verifies her spouse struck her in the head during their argument.
When she touched it, blood that appears to have originated from a bloody nose was on her hands.
She said in court that her husband was asleep upstairs when the cops arrived and took him into custody.
“He was still drunk at that period, according to the Crown’s argument,” Ms. Duong continued.
He then conducted a no-comment interview.
The problem, in this case, is that Mr. Barton doesn’t admit to hitting his wife in any way.
Arguments were had between the attorneys on a letter that Mrs. Barton wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on February 17 of this year.
Together, the pair is the parents of a daughter born in 2014 and a son born in 2011.
After completing Manchester City‘s development program, Barton began his football career there in 2002 and eventually made 150 appearances for the team.
Then, in July 2007, he made a £5.8 million move to Newcastle United before leaving for Queens Park Rangers in August 2011.
The midfielder then spent the 2012–13 campaign on loan with the French team Marseille before moving on to Burnley for one season, assisting in the promotion of that team to the Premier League.
Barton played for England once in 2007 despite criticizing several of his teammates.
After working at Rangers, the footballer started his managerial career in June 2018 with Fleetwood Town.
In February of last year, he transferred to Bristol Rovers, his current team.
