Joey Barton kicked wife in head in row, court hears

Former footballer Joey Barton pushed his wife to the floor before kicking her in the head during a drunken row at their family home, a court has heard.

The former Manchester City and QPR midfielder, 42, is accused of assaulting Georgia Barton, 38, in Kew, south-west London, in June 2021.

The arguing between the couple, who had been drinking with two other couples while their children slept upstairs, started after Mr Barton threatened to fight his wife's brother and father, Westminster Magistrates' Court was told.

Mr Barton, of Widnes in Cheshire, denies a single charge of assault by beating.

Prosecutor Helena Duong told the court there had been a "verbal disagreement about a family matter" before Mr Barton "grabbed her and pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head".

As a friend tried to intervene, Mr Barton "threw" him off and said "don't disrespect me", the trial heard.

Mrs Barton called the police shortly after 23:00 BST to "report she had been hit by her husband", jurors were told.

The 999 call was played to the court, and a tearful Mrs Barton told the call handler her husband "just hit me in the house," adding: "He's in the house, I'm outside."

Asked if anything similar had happened before, she said: "No, it's the first time," adding that she had been hit "in the face".

Jurors were told that when police officers arrived at about 23:30, Mrs Barton told them: "I've been pushed down and kicked about and stuff.

"He said he was going to fight with my brother and my dad."

The trial continues.