LONDON (AP) — Former professional soccer player Joey Barton was found guilty Tuesday of assaulting his wife by kicking her in the head at their family home.
The former Manchester City midfielder was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for two years at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, British media reported.
Barton, 42, who also played for Newcastle and Burnley, had pushed his wife to the ground before kicking her in the June 2021 incident at their home in south-west London, the court had previously heard. She sustained a lump on her forehead and a bloody nose.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring convicted Barton of a single charge of assault by beating after a two-day trial. He noted Barton had “a record of violence” but said he was “satisfied that it is not necessary to impose an immediate custodial sentence.”
A mitigating factor, Goldspring said, was that the couple remained in a “happy relationship” with a young child.
Barton, speaking outside court after the sentencing, said he was “really disappointed” with the magistrates’ verdict and intended to appeal.
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