Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton was jailed on Tuesday for six months after admitting to beating up a teenager during a night out.
The sentence was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court, where the 25-year-old admitted charges of affray and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stemming from an early morning fight in Liverpool in December.
Barton’s brother, Andrew Barton, also admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and a third defendant, Nadine Wilson (27), pleaded guilty to affray and common assault.
Barton had pleaded guilty last month but the court initially imposed an order preventing details being published after the player’s lawyers argued it could prejudice a jury in a separate assault trial he faces in Manchester.
The court lifted the reporting restrictions on Tuesday after hearing arguments from media organisations that information about Barton’s history of bad behaviour was in the public domain.
In the Manchester case, he is due to stand trial accused of assaulting his former Manchester City teammate, Ousmane Dabo, in a training ground incident in May last year that effectively ended his career with the club. He has pleaded not guilty. — Reuters