When is JB's next hearing (Mod: case dismissed)

I can't believe how smug some have been on here today.

He has not been found innocent, he has simply got away with it because of technicalities
Frosty's report

Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has been cleared of assaulting his wife after a judge ruled he could not have a fair trial because prosecutors would not call the alleged victim to give evidence. The former Premier League midfielder, 40, was accused of pushing Georgia Barton, 36, to the floor before kicking her during a drunken row at their home in Kew, south-west London on June 2 last year.

Mrs Barton, who is said to have been left with a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead and a bleeding nose, was “audibly upset and shaken”, when she dialled 999 just before 11.15pm, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard. “My husband has just hit me in the house,” she said, telling the operator she had been left with a “bloody nose” after Barton hit her “just in the face”, before officers arrived at the scene within 25 minutes.

READ MORE: Man left unconscious after being punched on the floor in Bedminster assault

Body-worn footage played in court captured Mrs Barton saying: “I was pushed and kicked about and stuff.” The officer noted “a bit of a lump and some blood”, while speaking to a female officer in a utility room around five minutes later, Mrs Barton said her husband “just flipped out” and “threw me down”.

“He was kicking me about,” she said, adding, while holding an ice pack to her head, that the alleged attack came “out of the blue”.

“I just want him to be removed from the premises,” she said. Prosecutor Daniel O’Donoghue said footage of Barton’s arrest shows he was “clearly intoxicated”.

He is seen in bed dressed in just his boxer shorts while being woken up by police officers before slowly pulling on his shorts, a polo neck T-shirt and socks. Barton, who played for teams including Manchester City, Newcastle, Queen’s Park Rangers and Marseille, as well as making one appearance for England in 2007, denied assault by beating.

His wife declined to make a written witness statement but ahead of the expected trial in March wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service. During earlier legal argument, the court heard Mrs Barton had written a letter to prosecutors, claiming she and her husband had been drinking “about four or five bottles of wine each” with two other couples.

She said she wasn’t sure what she said to police was totally accurate and explained that her injury was caused accidentally when friends intervened in the argument. Prosecutors said the account was an attempt to “exculpate” her husband and still chose not to interview her or call her to give evidence.

Mr O’Donoghue said on Monday: “The prosecution maintain she would not be a credible witness and has put forward an exculpatory account in order to assist Mr Barton and undermine the comments made on the evening, which we say are very clear on the video.”

However, District Judge Andrew Sweet said there were options available to the CPS to compel Mrs Barton to give evidence or treat her as a hostile witness. “I am satisfied the position adopted by the Crown not to take a statement or call Mrs Barton is at odds with the case law,” he said.

However I agree with those that suggest we move on and put this behind us and hope he doesn't find himself in this situation again

I can't believe how smug some have been on here today.

He has not been found innocent..

think we all know the real truth but he’s found not guilty again so let’s move on !

no-one is ever found innocent. The courts don't work that way.

Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and the case against JB was dismissed so his status remains unchanged.

Anyone suggesting that an individual is guilty of a crime when the courts have found to the contrary could be committing slander -  need to be careful. 

Probably better just to lock this thread now 

Didn't realise that you were at their house that evening!

The article in the Standard says that the Police bodycam showed Barton was asleep in bed, police pulled the cover back, JB was in his underpants, and asked for his trousers when they woke him up.  I thought that this bodycam footage was supposed to be the jewel in the prosecution's crown! 

Bristol Post have shared photos too:

From the independent:

Mrs Barton, who is said to have been left with a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead and a bleeding nose, was “audibly upset and shaken”, when she dialled 999 just before 11.15pm, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard.

“My husband has just hit me in the house,” she said, telling the operator she had been left with a “bloody nose” after Barton hit her “just in the face”, before officers arrived at the scene within 25 minutes.

Body-worn footage played in court captured Mrs Barton saying: “I was pushed and kicked about and stuff.”

The officer noted “a bit of a lump and some blood”, while speaking to a female officer in a utility room around five minutes later, Mrs Barton said her husband “just flipped out” and “threw me down”.

“He was kicking me about,” she said, adding, while holding an ice pack to her head, that the alleged attack came “out of the blue”.

“I just want him to be removed from the premises,” she said.

Prosecutor Daniel O’Donoghue said footage of Barton’s arrest shows he was “clearly intoxicated”.

He is seen in bed dressed in just his boxer shorts while being woken up by police officers before slowly pulling on his shorts, a polo neck T-shirt and socks.

JB needs to divorce her if she made that up. Sounds like a right bunny boiler.

Or a victim of domestic abuse.

From the independent:

Mrs Barton, who is said to have been left with a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead and a bleeding nose, was “audibly upset and shaken”, when she dialled 999 just before 11.15pm, Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court heard.

“My husband has just hit me in the house,” she said, telling the operator she had been left with a “bloody nose” after Barton hit her “just in the face”, before officers arrived at the scene within 25 minutes.

Body-worn footage played in court captured Mrs Barton saying: “I was pushed and kicked about and stuff.”

The officer noted “a bit of a lump and some blood”, while speaking to a female officer in a utility room around five minutes later, Mrs Barton said her husband “just flipped out” and “threw me down”.

“He was kicking me about,” she said, adding, while holding an ice pack to her head, that the alleged attack came “out of the blue”.

“I just want him to be removed from the premises,” she said.

Prosecutor Daniel O’Donoghue said footage of Barton’s arrest shows he was “clearly intoxicated”.

He is seen in bed dressed in just his boxer shorts while being woken up by police officers before slowly pulling on his shorts, a polo neck T-shirt and socks.

JB needs to divorce her if she made that up. Sounds like a right bunny boiler.

Or a victim of domestic abuse.