Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inboxFormer footballer Joey Barton leaves Liverpool Crown Court after sentencing following his guilty verdict for online harassment in Liverpool, Britain, December 8, 2025. REUTERS/Peter PowellLONDON, April 7 - Former British soccer player and coach Joey Barton has pleaded not guilty to attacking a man at a golf club in northwest England last month, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Barton, who was denied bail at an earlier magistrates hearing, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via a video link from Liverpool prison for a plea and trial preparation hearing, the report said. Local police said last month that Barton, 43, and Gary O'Grady, 50, were charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm following an assault at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club in Merseyside on March 8. O'Grady appeared in court but did not enter a plea, according to the BBC, who also identified the person who was attacked as former non-league football manager Kevin Lynch.

Source: BBC April 07, 2026 16:03 UTC