Premiership footballer Joey Barton was charged with assault
on Thursday after a training ground bust-up with a former
team-mate. The England and Newcastle United midfielder allegedly
attacked fellow player Ousmane Dabo. Barton was formally charged
with assault by police after answering bail in
Manchester.
The 24-year-old, capped once for England, was arrested in May while
a player for his previous club Manchester City. It is alleged he
attacked his then team-mate Dabo, 30, during a training session at
the club's complex in Carrington, south Manchester. Barton was
arrested, spoken to by police and bailed until Thursday while they
made further inquiries to find out what happened.
The player was suspended by Manchester City after the incident, and
sold by the club to Newcastle in June in a £5.8 million deal. He is
now out of action for Newcastle after fracturing a metatarsal bone
in his left foot during a pre-season friendly last week.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said Joseph Anthony
Barton was charged today with Section 47 assault. He will appear at
Trafford Magistrates' Court next Thursday. Should Barton plead not
guilty and the case go to trial, it can be heard either at
magistrates court or in front of a jury at crown court.
The offence is understood to carry a maximum sentence of up to five
years in jail on conviction.
