JOEY Barton was released from jail last night after being bailed by a judge.
Joey Barton: Granted bail
The 25-year-old Newcastle United and Engl
and midfielder made no comment as he passed through the gates of Liverpool Prison into a waiting car.
Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, had been in prison since he was charged with assault and affray last Friday.
He, his brother and a friend, were arrested in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of Thursday morning following a complaint to police by city centre CCTV operators. It is alleged the group were involved in two incidents following a confrontation at a McDonalds restaurant in Church Street, Liverpool, at 5.30am.
Barton was twice refused bail by Liverpool magistrates but Judge David Swift, sitting in chambers at Liverpool Crown Court, agreed bail earlier yesterday afternoon. Barton's solicitor Daniel Weed said: "Mr Joseph Barton has been granted bail with conditions until he appears at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on 16 January."
An official at Liverpool Crown Court would not say what bail conditions Barton was under, but said the judge had specified that they should be "very stringent".
Barton, whose charge has been upgraded to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, will next appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on 16 January. The court also decided that a charge of criminal damage against Barton, following an incident in a taxi in March 2005, will also be heard that day.
He will appear with Andrew Barton, 19, of Widnes, Cheshire, who is charged with actual bodily harm and affray, and Nadine Wilson, 27, from Huyton, Merseyside, who is charged with common assault and affray.
Meanwhile, Leeds United manager Dennis Wise has been interviewed by police after he chased a youth who allegedly threw stones at his family car on New Year's Day.
The 41-year-old League One manager was driving his car in north Leeds after a family meal in the city centre when his vehicle came under attack by youths. Wise jumped out of his car at about 1am and chased a teenager, but was unable to hold on to him. West Yorkshire Police said a 41-year-old man and a 13-year-old youth had been interviewed in connection with the incident.
A police spokeswoman said there had been no arrests and no charges. The spokeswoman said police were investigating criminal damage to a car and also an allegation of assault by a 13-year-old boy.
"Inquiries are ongoing," she added. No-one in Wise's 4x4 vehicle was injured during the incident.
The full article contains 431 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
