Joey Barton Remains in Custody as Trial Delayed Until March

Joey Barton will spend Christmas behind bars after a judge refused his latest bid for bail, leaving the former Premier League midfielder in custody at HMP Liverpool until at least March.

The 44-year-old had been due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court last week, but the case has been pushed back to 8 March next year, extending a spell on remand that will stretch to a full year.

Bail rejected as trial delayed

Barton faces a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent over an alleged serious assault in March involving Kevin Lynch. Lynch, 51, was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition, having reportedly suffered injuries to his face and ribs.

Defence counsel Tim Forte KC spent around an hour on Monday 7 October arguing for Barton to be released on bail. The attempt failed. The application was rejected, meaning Barton will remain in custody at HMP Liverpool.

The former Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers midfielder, who won a single England cap, has been held since his arrest, according to The Mirror.

Barton appeared at the hearing via video link from prison, wearing a grey Columbia fleece and glasses, listening as his immediate future was laid out in blunt terms.

Judge David Potter told him: “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 begins in March.

A year behind bars before verdict

The delay leaves Barton facing 12 months in custody before a jury hears the evidence. He has already spent six months on remand and now faces a further six-month wait following the adjournment to 8 March.

This is not the first time Barton has appeared before Judge Potter in the case. On Wednesday 2 September — his 44th birthday — he was in courtroom 42 at Liverpool Crown Court, where the matter was previously adjourned and he was remanded further.

On that occasion, Barton was in the dock wearing glasses, a navy blue suit and tie with a blue shirt, his hair cropped short and greying. Judge Potter again addressed him directly: “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.”

Night at golf club before alleged assault

The court has been told that Lynch and Barton had been socialising at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club on 8 March prior to the alleged assault.

Lynch, a former non-league manager who has taken charge of City of Liverpool, Marine and Prescot Cables, was said to have been found covered in blood on Fairway, near the entrance to the golf club.

Away from football, Lynch founded NexGen Academy in Dovecot and works as headteacher at a school for children with additional needs.

Barton, originally from Huyton, now lives at Fox Bank Close in Widnes and had most recently been hosting a podcast before his arrest.

The legal calendar is set. Barton stays in his cell, waiting for March and a trial that will decide what comes next.