Former Manchester City player Joey Barton is facing continued legal trouble after judges rejected his hopes of securing release in connection with a March assault near a golf club.
Barton had hoped to pay bail and leave custody while the case continued. However, according to Italian website derbyderbyderby.it, the judges took a different view and have decided that he should remain behind bars.
The court has classified Barton as a socially dangerous repeat offender, making it unwilling to grant him his freedom at this stage. His next hearing has been scheduled for 8 March 2027, when he will have another opportunity to seek release.
That prospect is described as uncertain, given the court’s current assessment of his status.
The case relates to an incident in March in which Barton assaulted a man close to a golf club. Before the confrontation, Barton and the man who later became the victim had been drinking alcohol together. The consumption of alcohol is presented as an obvious trigger for the dispute that followed.
Barton had been seeking a route out of custody through bail, but the latest court decision has prevented that from happening. Instead, he must wait until the scheduled hearing in 2027 before his position can be reconsidered.
The decision represents a further setback for the former footballer, whose latest attempt to regain his freedom has failed. For now, the court has chosen detention over bail, citing its view that Barton represents a danger to society and is a repeat offender.
His prospects of release will therefore remain unresolved until the next hearing. Even then, the outcome is far from guaranteed, with the court’s present stance suggesting that any application for freedom could face significant difficulty.
Barton’s football career included a spell with Manchester City, but the current proceedings concern the alleged assault near the golf club rather than his time in the game. The legal process is now set to continue with the next hearing more than a year away, on 8 March 2027.