Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of pushing his wife, Georgia Barton, to the ground and 'kicking her in the head' during a drunken row at their home in west London. The former Manchester City and England midfielder, 42, left his wife with a 'golf ball'-sized lump on her head after an argument in June 2021, during which he also threatened to fight her brother and father, a court heard. The case has once again put Barton under public scrutiny, with many on social media recalling his past controversies, including his violent conduct both on and off the pitch and his history of inflammatory remarks.

A tearful 999 emergency call played in court captured Mrs. Barton stating, "He just hit me in the house," while police body-worn footage showed her telling officers she had been "pushed down and kicked about" as their children slept upstairs. An officer at the scene was recorded noting a "good lump on the side of her head." Despite Mrs. Barton later retracting her statement and writing to the Crown Prosecution Service in February 2022 to say she no longer supported the case, the High Court ruled last year that Barton should still face trial.

During the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Judge Paul Goldspring dismissed Mrs. Barton's revised account—where she claimed she had been injured accidentally during a long drinking session—as "unbelievable." The judge emphasised the credibility of her initial statements to the police, saying, "The account on the telephone in the 999 call and to the attending officer is true."

Barton has now been found guilty of assault following a two-day trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court and was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence. Sentencing the now shamed footballer turned podcaster, Judge Goldspring told him: "You've been found guilty of an offence of assaulting your wife. The one place your wife is entitled to feel safe and protected is her home, and the one person she is entitled to feel safe and protected by is you, and that's not what happened in this case."

Barton, who arrived at court carrying a copy of Christopher Hitchens' book Arguably, denied the allegations, insisting that he had not assaulted his wife. He downplayed the accusations by arguing, "If I kicked someone in the head, it’ll do a lot more damage than what’s alleged in this case." He also remarked on his wife’s intoxication that evening, saying, "Girls—women—drink wine differently to how lads drink." Barton's comments were widely criticised as dismissive and patronising. The guilty verdict has reignited backlash against Barton, who has been no stranger to controversy. Last year, he faced legal action from broadcaster Jeremy Vine for libel and harassment after making offensive posts about him on X (formerly Twitter), including calling Vine a "big bike nonce" and a "pedo defender."

Social media users also resurfaced Barton’s past violent incidents, including his brother Michael Barton's conviction for the brutal 2005 racist murder of Anthony Walker. Many have pointed out the irony of Barton recently attempting to comment on crime and social issues, only to find himself convicted of assault. Barton recently took to social media to comment on the new Netflix series 'Adolescence' starring Stephen Graham, writing: "Stephen Graham's programme is getting loads of praise but it seems for knife crime in the UK he got the young actor wrong. Was he too afraid to cast it correctly?"

The post immediately sparked backlash, with users reminding Barton of his own brother Michael Barton's involvement in the racially motivated murder of Anthony Walker. One user responded: "Anthony Walker was a Black British student of Jamaican descent who was murdered with an ice axe by Michael Barton, brother of Joey Barton, in an unprovoked racist attack. Joey Barton needs to close his beak and sit this one out…" Others pointed out that Barton's comment on the show was factually incorrect, with one user stating: "My understanding is [the show] wasn’t even about knife crime but the incel 'Andrew Tate' style grooming young boys are being exposed to with their attitudes towards females and the high rate of killings of women by men, nothing to do with colour."