Joey Barton appeared in court today to face charges of assaulting his wife.
The former Manchester City, QPR and Marseille midfielder’s career is littered with acts of violence and suspensions both as a player and coach.
Barton racked up a staggering 113 yellow cards and nine reds in 435 career appearances in his playing career. That works out at receiving a card from the referee just over once every four games. Now managing Bristol Rovers, Barton is standing trial at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court.
Joey Barton appears in court
The initial hearing for the trial was pushed back after Barton’s wife wrote to the court in defence of him. Mrs Barton said that she was injured accidentally after visiting friends tried to break up an argument between the pair.
Prosecutors informed the court of the details of the alleged assault. Joey Barton reportedly grabbed his wife by the throat and kicked her in the head due to a drunken disagreement.
Following the alleged attack, Mrs Barton phoned the police to ask them to take the former Premier League player away from their home.
The incident left Mrs Barton with a bloody nose and a large bruise on her head.
The judge adjourned the case until the 23rd of June.
Previous Joey Barton offences
Joey Barton received numerous bans for his on and off-pitch behaviour during his playing career.
One of his most infamous incidents was during his QPR side’s loss to Manchester City, in the stunning climax to the 2012 Premier League season. Barton was sent off in that game after completely losing his head.
Initially shown a red card for striking City striker Carlos Tevez, Barton then tried to headbutt Vincent Kompany and kicked Sergio Aguero on his way off the pitch. His shocking actions landed him a 12-match ban from the FA, plus a £75,000 fine.
Not even his teammates are safe. At a Christmas party in 2004, Joey Barton stubbed a lit cigar out in the eye of Manchester City youth team player Jamie Tandy. Barton took exception to Tandy trying to set his t-shirt on fire. City fined Barton £60,000; he then had to cough up £65,000 more to Tandy following a lawsuit.
Furthermore, Barton’s violent streak away from the pitch has seen him do jail time. The former QPR midfielder once served 74 days in prison. He was prosecuted after beating a man unconscious on a night out in 2007. In his attack, captured on CCTV, Barton also left a teenager with broken teeth.
Featured image credit: Getty
