Former footballer Joey Barton pushed his wife to the floor and kicked her in the head, leaving her with a bleeding nose and a lump on her forehead during a drunken argument at their home, a court has heard.
Barton, 42, is alleged to have assaulted Georgia Barton, 38, while they entertained two other couples and their children slept upstairs in Kew, southwest London in June 2021.
The row began when the former Manchester City and QPR midfielder threatened to fight his wife’s brother and father, prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Prosecutor Helena Duong said Barton “grabbed her [his wife] and pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head” after “a verbal disagreement about a family matter”.
When a friend tried to separate the pair, pulling Barton away, Barton allegedly “threw” him off and said “don’t disrespect me”.
Mrs Barton called the police shortly after 11pm and told them she “had been hit by her husband”, the court heard.
During the 999 call played to the court, a tearful Mrs Barton told the call handler: “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, Mrs Barton 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, of Widnes in Cheshire, was due to face trial at a magistrates’ court in 2022, but the case was adjourned after Mrs Barton sent a letter to prosecutors retracting her allegations.
A judge paused the case against Barton, over concerns it would be unfair after prosecutors said they did not plan to ask Mrs Barton to give evidence in court.
But prosecutors successfully appealed that decision, setting up Friday’s trial.
A previous hearing had heard the pair had both drunk “four or five bottles of wine”.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Barton’s career and life have been marked by numerous controversial incidents.
Last year, broadcaster Jeremy Vine sued him for libel and harassment over 14 online posts, including one where he called Mr Vine a “big bike nonce” and a “pedo defender” on X, formerly Twitter.
Earlier this year, he appeared in court charged with sending offensive messages to Vine and commentator Lucy Ward.
He was stripped of his QPR captaincy in 2012 having been sent off during Manchester City’s dramatic final-day 3-2 win over QPR after elbowing Carlos Tevez and, as he left the pitch, kicking Sergio Aguero before aiming a headbutt at Vincent Kompany.
Read more:
Storm Eowyn – latest updates
Mother jailed after sons die in fire
Pie tycoon’s grandson jailed over murder
He was sacked as Bristol Rovers manager in 2023 following a poor run of results.
Barton denies a single charge of assault by beating, and the trial continues.
