Bristol boss, Joey Barton walks free after a judge dismissed the assault case of attacking his wife two days before their anniversary.
The former Manchester City player and current Bristol Rovers head coach denied the assault charges against him by his wife and he was set free after district judge Andrew Sweet ruled he could not get a fair trial at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, October 31st.
What happened?
Joey Barton’s wife, Georgia allegedly called the police on the 2nd of June last year claiming her husband kicked her in the head, causing a “golf ball-sized lump” during a drunken argument.
The contention, which she said was around family members happened at their house in Kew, southwest London.
Georgia told the cops she had been speaking to Barton about a row her friend Katie had had with her partner and how Katie went to bed.
However, the 40-year-old Barton was seen sleeping heavily in his bedroom in the bodycam footage played to Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court, when the police arrived at the couple’s home.
The Bristol manager can be seen lying on a double mattress in just his boxers as police pulled off the duvet and tried to wake him by tapping him on the arm.
Barton opened his eyes after several seconds and sits up before he knew what has happened and was arrested by the cops.
Meanwhile, after the emergency call, Wimbledon Magistrates Court heard DC James Souter went back to the couple’s residence the following day and Mrs. Barton told him the incident was not as she claimed it was as she was “largely fuelled by alcohol.”
The court also heard Georgia refused to give a written statement to police the night the incident happened, or the day after when she was visited by an officer.
Prosecutor Daniel Donoghue told the court Mrs. Barton became “evasive” the following day and has since withdrawn the allegation against her husband.
Mr. Donoghue said: “DC Souter recalls that she was evasive in terms of answering questions about the incident and dismissive of other questions.
“She was deferring to how the incident should not have happened but not expanding upon it. She refused to provide a further statement.”
Afterward, the court heard Georgia wrote the CPS a letter this year, February 17, admitting she had been “drinking heavily since midday” and was not sure what she told police was true and did not want to press charges against her husband, Barton.
Meanwhile, the court had invited the Crown Prosecution Service to take a statement from Mrs. Georgia Barton at seating in March, but they refused and Barton’s defense team analyzed the action as ‘unfair’.
The Crown Prosecution Service declined to call Mrs. Georgia Barton as a witness and wanted to use the emergency call and allegations Barton’s wife made to police captured on body-worn footage as her proof, thereby causing District Judge Andrew Sweet to rule that Barton would not receive a fair trial.
District judge Andrew Sweet, however, dismissed the allegations on the account that Barton could not get a fair trial.
Judge Andrew Sweet said: “The Crown had decided from an early stage they would not be calling Mrs. Barton as a witness and that has remained the position.
“Her new account intended to undermine the prosecution case and conflicted with the account she gave on the body-worn footage on the night of June 2. The prosecution chose not to take a statement from her at any stage other than on the night in question.”
“Mr. Barton would be unable to receive a fair trial in those circumstances and proceedings stay.”
Who is Joey Barton?
Joey Barton, full name (Joseph Anthony Barton) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
The 49-year-old Bristol manager was born and raised in Huyton, Merseyside.
Barton’s wife
Joey Barton got married to his childhood girlfriend, Georgia in a grand ceremony in 2019 at a country house in Oxfordshire.
The couple has two children together – a son born in 2011 and a daughter born in 2014.
His football career
Joey Barton started his football career with Manchester City in 2002 after passing through their youth system and making 150 appearances for the club.
Afterward, he moved to Newcastle United in July 2007 for a transfer fee worth £5.8million before leaving for Queens Park Rangers in August 2011.
It was in QPR that Barton was put on loan to French side Marseille during the 2012-13 season before proceeding to Burnley for one season, helping the club get promoted to the Premier League.
He made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 150 for Manchester City.
His managerial career.
The 40-year-old former England midfielder, Barton, began his management career with Fleetwood Town in June 2018 after a stint at Queens Park Rangers.
He is currently the manager of League One side Bristol Rovers after he joined the club in February last year.
