Former soccer player Joey Barton has been charged in connection with manslaughter after a man was seriously injured in an assault near a golf club over the weekend.
The victim suffered serious injuries to his face and body and is being treated at a hospital. His condition is said to be stable.
Burton, 43, and Gary O’Grady, 50, were charged in connection with the assault.
They are due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that two men have been charged following an assault in Huyton on Sunday night, March 8th.
“Around 9pm, emergency services were called to Fairway after reports of a man being assaulted near Huyton and Prescott Golf Club.
“The victim sustained serious injuries to his face and body and was taken to hospital for evaluation. He is in a serious but stable condition at the hospital.”
“Two men have been arrested. Detectives have now charged the following men with wounding with intent under Section 18: Joseph Anthony Barton, 43, from Widnes, and Gary O’Grady, 50, from Huyton.
“Both individuals remain in custody this afternoon to appear at Wirral Magistrates Court on Tuesday, March 10.”
Meanwhile, Burton has been told to pay more than £300,000 in damages and legal costs to Eni Aluko, who sued him for defamation.
The High Court ordered Mr Burton to pay “substantial” damages and Ms Aluko’s legal costs, and ruled that the proceedings were stayed.
Barton did not attend Monday’s post-arrest hearing, and Aluko’s attorney, Gervase de Wilde, told the court he was “currently in custody.”
Mr Aluko, a former England international footballer and pundit, has filed a lawsuit against Mr Barton over two posts he made on social media site X in 2024.
Mr de Wilde falsely claimed that Ms Burton “cynically sought to exploit her status as an alleged victim of racism and bullying” in her 2X posts, and claimed she was a hypocrite.
The barrister said Barton published 48 posts related to Ms Aluko on his X account between January and August 2024, adding that he had “carried out a deliberately targeted public smear campaign”.
De Wilde said one post included an image of Arko’s head superimposed on the body of serial killer Rosemary West.
He added: “This campaign amounted to an attack on many aspects of her life and personality.”
“Mr. Barton’s campaign caused Ms. Aluko great distress. When she tried to protect herself from the actions of Mr. Barton and his supporters, Mr. Aluko criticized and attacked them,” it added.
De Wilde said she was worried that even if Aluko tried to stop the harassment, Barton would “abuse and manipulate the harassment and use it against her”.
The barrister continued: “Mr Burton accepted that his campaign against Mr Aluko amounted to harassment and should not have been published.”
According to a court order seen by the Press Association, Barton was ordered to pay an initial £100,000 plus interest of £339,000 by March 24.
Judge Lavender gave Barton seven days to seek a modification of the order. Ms Aluko appeared in a London court on Tuesday and told PA after the hearing: “I’m glad it’s over.”
