The 999 hotline has played a recording of Joey Barton’s wife Georgia Barton calling to report that the former hardman had pushed her to the floor and kicked her in the head during a drunken argument at their home, a court hearing has heard. The incident,
which occurred in 2001, left Georgia with a bulging forehead and a bloody nose after the assault. Their friends had to intervene in the argument, pulling Barton away from his wife, prosecutors said.
The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers midfielder, 42, is charged with assaulting Georgia Barton, 38, in Kew, south-west London, in June 2021. When they had been drinking with two other couples while their children slept upstairs.
The argumentbegan after Barton threatened to take action against his brother and father-in-law.
“There was a verbal argument about family matters,” prosecutor Helena Duang said. Barton appeared in court wearing a dark coat, dark jumper, jeans and glasses. เว็บพนันออนไลน์ UFABET สมัครง่าย โปรโมชั่นมากมาย “He grabbed her and pushed her to the floor and kicked her in the head,” Ms Duang told the court.
As a friend tried to intervene, Barton “swung” him away and said: “Don’t you dare insult me.” Georgia called police shortly. After 11pm to “report that she had been assaulted by her husband”. The
pair had drunk “four or five bottles” of wine, the court was told. During the 999 call to report the incident, Georgia was crying and told the operator: “My husband has just assaulted me in the house”.
“He was in the house, I was outside”. Asked if this had happened before, she replied: “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 was being pushed and kick around. He said he was going to get my brother and dad too.”
Officers asked Georgia if she wanted to apply an ice pack to her head.
The court heard Barton was arrested at around midnight in his bedroom, where he was sleeping, still intoxicated.
The couple are still married and living together. The former footballer, from Widnes, Cheshire, was due to stand trial in 2022. But the case was adjourned at the time after Georgia wrote to prosecutors to drop the charges.
The judge then temporarily suspended the case over concerns the trial would be unfair to Barton, after prosecutors said they did not plan to ask Barton to give evidence in court.
Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, is appealing the decision to the High Court in London. With prosecutors arguing that a fair trial could be carried out.
In a June ruling, two senior judges ruled in Georgia’s favor and said Barton should appeal to another judge. Barton
has denied a single charge of assault and the trial is ongoing.