Joey Barton to stand trial
Even though his wife no longer alleges he kicked her in the head
The football manager and former footballer Joey Barton will stand trial in November on a charge of assault by beating — or battery as it used to be called. He denies the charge. The alleged victim is his wife.
What’s striking about the case is that Georgia Barton withdrew the allegations she had made against her husband in 2021 before a trial that was due to take place the following year. A decision that the case can now go ahead — after criticism of the district judge who threw it out — has led a leading defence lawyer to question whether it is fair to treat domestic abuse allegations differently from other criminal proceedings.
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