JOEY BARTON CLEAR OF TUNNEL ASSAULT
Relief after ‘not guilty’ verdict over injured rival footie boss
The verdict speaks for itself.. I feel better than I did before JOEY BARTON REACTS TO THE JURY’S DECISION
JOEY Barton said he felt “better” after being cleared of assaulting a rival manager after a match.
A jury at Sheffield Crown Court found the Bristol Rovers boss not guilty of attacking Barnsley’s former head coach Daniel Stendel in a tunnel in April 2019.
The ex-Rangers and Manchester City player was manager of Fleetwood Town when he was accused of injuring Stendel.
Yesterday, following a week-long trial, Barton, 39, said: “I think the verdict speaks for itself.” Asked how he felt, he said: “Better than I did before.”
Former Hearts manager Stendel told a jury he was walking along the tunnel at Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium after a 4-2 win when he was pushed, causing him to hit his face on metal.
It was claimed he suffered facial injuries, a damaged tooth and bruising.
The jury was shown footage of Barton jogging into the tunnel and it shaking. Another camera caught a bloodied
Stendel being carried. The jury heard Fleetwood’s assistant manager, Clint Hill, had earlier received a yellow card. Jurors were shown footage of the handshake between the managers after the match, during which Stendel said Barton was hostile. Barton admitted using “industrial language” but denied being aggressive. He said he had tried to explain they might be liable for fines if they did not control staff. Barton said he jogged because he wanted to reach the dressing room. He said footage showed him weaving through the crowded tunnel. Nathan Kirby, a Barnsley intern, said he saw Barton “shoulder-barge” Stendel. Barton’s barrister Simon Csoka QC said even if it had been an accident it was possible for Barton to have been unaware of what happened.