Former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton has pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, following an alleged assault on a man outside a Merseyside golf club.
Barton, 43, appeared via videolink from HMP Liverpool before Liverpool Crown Court for a brief plea hearing. Dressed in a grey zip-up fleece and wearing glasses, he spoke only to confirm his identity and to enter his not guilty plea.
The charge relates to an incident involving Kevin Lynch, 51, at Fairway, Huyton. Prosecutors allege that Barton inflicted serious injuries on Lynch, who is reported to have suffered significant damage to his eye.
The court was previously told that Barton and his co-defendant, Gary O’Grady, 50, had been drinking with Lynch at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club before the alleged attack took place outside the venue. No detailed account of the incident was given during the short hearing, which focused largely on procedural matters.
O’Grady, from Huyton, Merseyside, faces the same charge but was not asked to enter a plea. He attended court in person and sat in the dock, where he was supported by several family members. The judge renewed his conditional bail.
Lynch is known locally as a former non-league football manager and the founder of NexGen Academy, a specialist education provider that works with young people outside mainstream schooling. The seriousness of his reported eye injury is expected to form a central part of the prosecution case.
Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC set a trial date, estimating that the case will take around a week. Both prosecution and defence teams were instructed to prepare expert medical and witness evidence ahead of the hearing.
Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, was remanded in custody pending trial. The court did not hear any application for bail on his behalf during this appearance.
Barton enjoyed a high-profile playing career, winning an England cap and representing clubs including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, Rangers, Burnley and Marseille. In recent years he has moved into media and punditry, hosting the podcast Common Sense With Joey Barton, which promotes itself as an unfiltered discussion of sport, politics and wider social issues.
