Joey Barton has been found guilty of assaulting his wife at their home.
The former footballer, 42, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon, Sky News reports.
The incident happened at the family home in southwest London in June 2021, when Barton attacked Georgia Barton after returning home from a night out with two other couples.
The court heard that Barton kicked her in the head, and also threatened to fight her brother and father in a “verbal disagreement about a family matter.”
Barton admitted to having had “six to eight” drinks when the assault occurred. He denied the assault charge.
He had been due to face trial in 2022 after pleading not guilty but the trial was haulted after Georgia, who he is still married to, withdrew her claims.
However, a High Court ruling last year stated that the trial could still go ahead and that the previous decision to drop the case was “wrong in principle.”
The incident occurred during an alcohol-fuelled evening with friends which turned ugly when there was a disagreement about a family matter.
Prosecutor Helena Duong told the court in January that things got heated and Barton “grabbed her and pushed her to the ground and kicked her in the head”.
Their children were sleeping upstairs at the time.
Barton’s wife 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.”