Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of assaulting his wife.

Former England footballer Joey Barton, 42, has been found guilty of assault by beating after pushing his wife, Georgia Barton, to the floor and kicking her in the head during a drunken row at their home in Kew, south-west London, in June 2021.

During a gathering with two other couples while their children slept upstairs, Joey Barton and his wife began arguing after he threatened to fight her brother and father, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

At the time, Barton was managing Bristol Rovers. He received a 12-week suspended prison sentence for the assault.

Mrs. Barton suffered a lump on her forehead and a bleeding nose. She initially called the police, reporting that her husband had “just hit” her, but later sent a letter to prosecutors retracting her allegations.

Prosecutor Helena Duong argued that Mrs. Barton’s 999 call was “compelling evidence” and that her bloody nose required an explanation, stating it was “plainly not caused by an accident.”

Barton told the court he acknowledged arguing with his wife but denied any physical altercation. He was arrested in his bedroom that night, reportedly intoxicated and asleep at the time.

His trial, initially set for 2022, was postponed after Mrs. Barton retracted her allegations in a letter, claiming her injuries resulted from an accident when a friend intervened.

A judge paused the proceedings, citing concerns about fairness, as the prosecution had no plans to call Mrs. Barton as a witness. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, successfully appealed at the High Court, arguing the trial could proceed.

In a June ruling, two senior judges sided with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), ordering Barton to stand trial before a different judge.

Additionally, Barton was directed to pay £2,183 in victim surcharge and prosecution costs within seven days.