Joey Barton Faces Year in Custody Ahead of Trial
Joey Barton will spend Christmas behind bars at HMP Liverpool after a judge refused his latest bid for bail, leaving the former Premier League midfielder facing a year in custody before his trial even begins.
The 44-year-old was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court last week, but the case was pushed back to March 8 next year. He is charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent over an alleged serious assault in March.
The alleged victim, Kevin Lynch, 51, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition, reportedly suffering injuries to his face and ribs.
Barton, who played for Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers and won a single England cap, has been held in custody since his arrest. According to The Mirror, he has now already served six months on remand and faces at least another six before a jury hears the case.
Bail bid thrown out
On Monday, October 7, defence counsel Tim Forte KC mounted an hour-long application for bail. It failed.
Barton appeared via video link from HMP Liverpool, wearing a grey Columbia fleece and glasses, as the court was told of the proposed conditions. Judge David Potter was not persuaded, and the application was refused.
It continues a difficult spell for Barton in the courtroom. He had previously appeared in person in courtroom 42 on Wednesday, September 2 – his 44th birthday – when the case was adjourned and he was remanded further into custody.
Judge Potter told him then: “Mr Barton, your case will next be mentioned on December the 11th. In the meantime, you are remanded in custody through to the next date.”
That December hearing will serve as a pre-trial review, with the full trial expected to last up to two weeks once it finally begins in March.
Night at the golf club
Earlier hearings were told that Lynch had been socialising with Barton at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club on March 8, shortly before the alleged assault.
Lynch, a former non-league manager who has taken charge of City of Liverpool, Marine and Prescot Cables, was later reportedly found covered in blood on Fairway, near the entrance to the golf club.
Away from the touchline, Lynch founded NexGen Academy in Dovecot and works as headteacher at a school for children with additional needs.
Trial date fixed
As the legal process dragged on, Barton also appeared in the dock on a separate occasion wearing glasses, a navy blue suit and tie, blue shirt and sporting short, greying hair.
On that day, Judge Potter set out the schedule in clear terms: “Mr Barton, I have now fixed your trial to take place on Monday, the 8th of March. In the meantime, you are remanded in custody.”
For Barton, originally from Huyton and now living at Fox Bank Close in Widnes, it means a long winter inside before he gets his chance to contest the allegations. The former midfielder, who had most recently turned to podcasting after his coaching and playing career, will next be seen not on a touchline or in a studio, but on a prison video link as the clock ticks down towards March.
