Joey Barton found not guilty of assaulting rival manager Daniel Stendel

mirror.co.uk, 6 December 2021, 12:59
Joey Barton has been acquitted by a jury after he was accused of occasioning actual bodily harm to rival manager Daniel Stendel while Fleetwood Town manager in 2019

Joey Barton has been found not guilty of assaulting rival manager Daniel Stendel.

Barton, aged 39 and of Widnes in Cheshire, was accused of occasioning actual bodily harm to Stendel while taking charge of Fleetwood Town for a League One fixture at Barnsley in April 2019.

A jury at Sheffield Crown Court returned a unanimous verdict to acquit the Bristol Rovers boss on Monday.

Closing statements from the prosecution and defence were made last Friday after Stendel alleged he was pushed from behind, resulting in him hitting the metal bars in the tunnel at Oakwell and suffering a dental injury.

The incident was initially brought the attention of police after Barnsley lodged formal complaints to the English Football League and the Football Association.

Barton pleaded not guilty to causing actual bodily harm in October 2019 during a hearing at Barnsley Magistrates' Court.

The subsequent trial was delayed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic and he eventually appeared at Sheffield Crown Court in June 2021.

But jurors were dismissed due to technical issues with Judge Jeremy Richardson QC deeming parts of Stendel's evidence, given via video link, were being "lost in translation".

Judge Richardson decided the trial should take place when Stendel would be able to travel to Sheffield to appear in court in person.

Former England, Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder Barton arrived at court two Fridays ago and the verdict of not guilty was returned 10 days later.

A 10-person jury took less than two hours to come to their decision on Monday. One member of the jury was discharged earlier that day due to ill-health.

Barton thanked the jury before leaving the courtroom.

He left Fleetwood in January 2021 and joined Bristol Rovers the following month. He led the Gas to a 2-1 victory over Sutton United in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.

Stendel, meanwhile, was sacked by Barnsley in October 2019 and has gone on to have brief spells with Heart of Midlothian and Nancy.

Read full version: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/breaking-joey-barton-found-not-25627847
  • AIN SUD FOOT
  • BARTON ROVERS
  • Bristol
  • Bristol Rovers
  • Fleet
  • FLEET TOWN
  • Fleetwood Town
  • Sheffield
  • WIDNES

Top News

27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham are again sweating over the fitness of Emile Smith Rowe for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams enjoying excellent campaigns will lock horns for an intriguing Premier League contest on Sunday afternoon, with Fulham welcoming Bournemouth to Craven Cottage. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest are set to be without the services of midfielder Ryan Yates for the trip to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Everton could be prepared to welcome back the services of winger Dwight McNeil for the Premier League battle with Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Following a hard-fought point at the home of the faltering champions earlier in the week, Everton will continue their festive schedule with the visit of Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly considering triggering the release clause of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi during the January transfer window due to their ongoing issues. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly made an offer for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool boss Arne Slot will only be missing three players for Sunday's Premier League showdown with West Ham United at the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have reportedly rejected the chance to sign unsettled forward Marcus Rashford, with the Old Lady more interested in bringing in his Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is grappling with a new selection crisis ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit of Liverpool to the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to hit the 45-point mark before the end of the calendar year, relentless Premier League leaders Liverpool head to West Ham United on Sunday evening for their final match of 2024. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Dani Olmo's situation at Barcelona, with the Spain international potentially becoming available on a free transfer at the start of January. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out when they travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will aim to maintain their remarkable unbeaten status in this season's Scottish Premiership when they host bottom of the table St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One team on an upward trajectory and another on a downward trajectory conclude their Premier League duties for 2024 at 3pm on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wolverhampton Wanderers will endeavour to win three successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2023 when they head to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both seeking to end a sub-par year on an up note, AC Milan and Roma will close out 2024 with a Sunday night clash at San Siro. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is at risk of being without a single senior centre-back for Sunday's Premier League home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two of the Premier League's bottom-half battlers collide in their final match of 2024 on Sunday, as an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur welcome a reborn Wolverhampton Wanderers to their North London base. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Curtis Jones has revealed he received a touching message from former manager Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool's Boxing Day win over Leicester. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both in desperate need of some end-of-year inspiration, Premier League foes Leicester City and Manchester City play their final match of 2024 at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he will "change something" for Monday's Premier League fixture at Ipswich Town. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton will go in search of just their second Premier League victory of the 2024-25 campaign when they head to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon to tackle Crystal Palace. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is currently sweating over the availability of a handful of players ahead of Sunday's trip to Leicester City in the Premier League. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool may reportedly be offered the chance to loan out Federico Chiesa during the January transfer window. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will be deprived of the banned Jordan Ayew for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the King Power Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hitting low ebb after low ebb, Premier League champions-in-crisis Manchester City endeavour to close 2024 with an increasingly rare win away to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to hand a red card to Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran against Newcastle United. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from a home defeat to Fulham when they head to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on December 30. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in all competitions when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday night.