Joey Barton Denied Bail Until 2027 Trial

Joey Barton will remain behind bars until his trial in 2027 after a judge refused his latest bid for bail.

The 44-year-old former midfielder, from Widnes in Cheshire, is accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Kevin Lynch, 51, during an incident on 8 March at Fairway, Huyton. Barton denies the charge.

The alleged attack is said to have taken place after the pair had been drinking at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club. Lynch, a former non-league manager and founder of special education school NexGen Academy, was reported to have suffered serious injuries to his eye.

Last week at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge David Potter pushed Barton's trial date back a full year, adjourning it to 8 March 2027. That decision already meant a long wait. Monday’s hearing made it even starker: Barton will not be released in the meantime.

Appearing via videolink from HMP Liverpool and dressed in a grey zip-up fleece, Barton watched as Judge Potter rejected a renewed application for bail. He nodded as the judge ordered that he be remanded in custody ahead of a pre-trial hearing scheduled for 11 December.

The trial itself is expected to last two weeks.

Barton, who won a single England cap, built a high-profile playing career with spells at Man City, Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle, Rangers, Burnley and Marseille. Now he faces one of the longest waits of his life, with the outcome to be decided in a Liverpool courtroom rather than on a football pitch.