DISGRACED Joey Barton has been found guilty of shoving his wife to the ground and kicking her in the head as their kids slept upstairs.
The former footballer attacked Georgia Barton at their home in Kew, South West London, after a drunken night with two other couples.
PAJoey Barton has been found guilty of attacking wife Georgia[/caption]
PAThe ex-footballer, pictured today, shoved his wife to the ground[/caption]
Barton, 42, has now been found guilty of assault following a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard Barton and Georgia, who are still married, had both drunk “four or five bottles of wine” before the sickening attack.
The ex-Man City star threatened to fight his wife’s brother and father in a “verbal disagreement about a family matter”.
Barton then “grabbed [Georgia] and pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head”.
As a friend tried to intervene, Barton “threw” him off and said “don’t disrespect me”.
Georgia, who was left with a lump on her forehead and a bleeding nose, called police shortly after 11pm to “report she had been hit by her husband”.
During a tearful 999 call played to the court, she said: “Me husband’s just hit me in the house.
“He’s in the house, I’m outside.”
Asked if anything similar had happened before, she said: “No, it’s the first time,” adding that she had been hit “in the face”.
When police arrived at around 11:30pm, Georgia told them: “I’ve been pushed down and kicked about and stuff.
“He said he was going to fight with my brother and my dad.”
Barton was arrested at about midnight in his bedroom, where he had been asleep, and was still drunk.
Giving evidence, Barton admitted he had drunk “six to eight” drinks when the alleged attack unfolded.
He told the court there had been a “disagreement” and he “stupidly took me mate’s side”.
Barton continued: “We just got into petty name calling.
“We ended up getting a bit more agitated and were close to each other.”
The former footballer admitted he was someone that “on occasion” might lose his temper.
But he denied the claims against him, saying: “If I kicked someone in the head there would be a lot more damage than what’s alleged in this case.”
In her own evidence, Georgia told the court she and her husband had been “nose to nose” at one point but had not come to blows.
She claimed she felt a “collision” to her head that “stunned me and made me fall backwards”.
Georgia, who said she had drunk a lot of wine that day, added: “It couldn’t have been Joe, he was too far away.”
Barton was due to face trial in 2022 after pleading not guilty to assault by beating but this was halted when Georgia retracted her claims.
The High Court ruled last year that the trial could go ahead and that the previous decision to drop the case was “wrong in principle”.
Barton married his childhood sweetheart in a lavish ceremony in 2019 at a country house in Oxfordshire.
The couple have two children together – a son born in 2011 and a daughter born in 2014.
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Barton started his football career with Manchester City in 2002 after going through their youth system and went on to make 150 appearances for the club.
He then moved to Newcastle United in a £5.8million transfer in July 2007 before leaving for Queens Park Rangers in August 2011.
The midfielder was then put on loan to French side Marseille during the 2012-13 season before making his way to Burnley for one season – helping promote them to the Premier League.
Barton made one appearance for England in 2007 – despite criticising some of his fellow players.
The footballer later attempted a management career with stints at Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.
Barton denied a single charge of assault and will be sentenced later.
Getty – ContributorHe attacked his wife, seen with Barton in 2011, after drinking up to five bottles of wine[/caption]
Instagram / Georgia McneilBarton married childhood sweetheart Georgia in 2019[/caption]
AlamyHe had denied a single count of assault[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
