Joey Barton could face a year in custody after golf club 'assault' trial delayed

Former football star Joey Barton could be facing a year on remand as he remains in custody after his trial for allegedly attacking a man at a golf club was delayed.

The ex-player was arrested following an incident at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club out the outskirts of Liverpool on March 8 this year. Barton was first remanded in custody when he appeared in court in connection with the incident a couple of days later.

He denies the alleged assault and was due to face trial this week at Liverpool Crown Court - but Judge David Potter adjourned the case to March 8, 2027.

Barton has been remanded into custody - meaning he could face another six month wait in prison until the trial if he is not granted bail before then. A bail hearing is due to take place next week.

Barton appeared in court, on his 44th birthday, wearing glasses, a navy blue suit and tie with a blue shirt and sporting short greying hair. He made a thumbs up gesture to a man in the public gallery as he left the dock.

He has pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. The court previously heard Kevin Lynch, 51, had been socialising with Barton at the £1,440-a-year golf club on March 8 before the alleged assault.

Mr Lynch -a former non-league football manager - was rushed to hospital with injuries to his face and ribs. He was said to have been found covered in blood on Fairway, close to the entrance to the golf club, before emergency services were called to the scene.

He was said to have suffered a serious injury to his eye, and was left in a serious but stable condition following the alleged assault. He previously managed Prescot Cables, Marine and City of Liverpool FC, and is also the founder and headteacher of NexGen Academy in Dovecot, a school for children with additional needs.

Barton made 269 Premier League appearances for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley. The ex-player, from Huyton but now living in Widnes, won a single cap for England and also turned out for Marseille and Rangers before managing Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.

He has since hosted the Common Sense With Joey Barton podcast, which is described as an “unfiltered” look at issues in sport, society and politics.

Barton’s trial is expected to last for up to two weeks. Adjourning the case, Judge Potter told him: “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.”