Joey Barton's assault trial delayed after former Manchester City and England midfielder's wife writes letter to prosecutors

The Bristol Rovers manager’s barrister Simon Csoka QC said Georgia Barton now claims she was injured accidentally when friends intervened in the argument with her husband after drinking “four or five bottles of wine each”.

Barton, who has also managed Fleetwood Town and played for Manchester City and Burnley among others, was due to stand trial at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Friday for a single count of assault by beating.

The 39-year-old is alleged to have grabbed his wife by the throat and kicked her in the head during a row outside their home in Kew, south-west London, where they had been with two other couples on June 2 last year.

Mrs Barton, who is said to have been left with a golf-ball sized bruise on her forehead and a bleeding nose, called police but was not due to be called as a prosecution witness.

However, the court heard she had sent a letter to the Crown Prosecution Service, followed up with two emails, which had only been seen by prosecutor Helena Duong on Friday morning.

Ms Duong said: “Mr Barton is married to the alleged victim in this case and they continue to be in a relationship. She has given an account some eight months after the incident and, in the Crown’s submission, it is plainly an attempt to exculpate her husband.”

The case has been adjourned until June 23 with Barton released on unconditional bail.

Ms Duong earlier said Barton’s wife called police just before 11.15pm and said “she had just been hit in her house by her husband and she asks police officers to attend urgently”.

When officers arrived “she says she had got into a drunken fight, a disagreement about families, with her husband, and she had been pushed down and kicked,” the barrister continued.

“Mr Barton is still asleep upstairs when police arrive and he is arrested. The Crown’s case is he was still intoxicated at that point.”

The court heard Barton gave a no comment interview and the prosecutor added: “The issue in this case is that Mr Barton denies assaulting his wife at all.”

Barton appeared in the dock wearing a black sweater, jeans, black shoes and glasses, and spoke to confirm his name, address in Widnes, Cheshire and date of birth.