Barton's trial finally starts on Monday at Sheffield crown court Link to barnsley chronicle article below https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/article/20965/joey-barton-set-for-trial
This won't be dropped, a defendant would struggle get any favourable treatment if they plead guilty on the day. An individual would have had ample time to do this, a judge won't view such behaviour favourably. The courts are struggling to cope as it is, so time wasters aren't treated with kid gloves.
Barton’s take on this is interesting: He admits to being responsible for Daniel’s injuries, but has pleaded not guilty to GBH (so is it an accident?) At the same time he’s fed the press a defence of provocation. Strikes me he’s gone for a scattergun approach to stop looking like a thug, but that’s not going to play out under scrutiny in court.
The reasons a case is dropped (all too common nowadays). The defendant hopes somethings gone wrong with the prosecution case then pleads guilty at the last minute. The victim gives up after a long wait, as the trauma of the hearing will open wounds they’re healing. The prosecution fails to get a lawyer into the building to start the case because the CPS is a shambles (too common, but less likely in a high profile case).
Yes, I'll amend some of my wording. However if any defendant uses forms of media to plead their case before trail. A media interference mistrial defense wouldn't hold much water.
Guilty plea to Common Assault. ABH dropped. Little bit of compensation to Mr Stendel. And we all have the afternoon off!
Plus the starting point in the sentencing guidelines is below custody for Common Assault - which is why he'd offer a plea on the day to that one.
But shouldn’t a plea on the day mean he’ll not likely be looking at the minimum sentence? I appreciate the courts and jails are in a state, but he’s had plenty of opportunity to plea bargain. Also on the mitigation for his previous, isn’t there a subsequent case outstanding too? Surely no judge is going to look at his record and think ‘upstanding citizen who just made a mistake’.
His brief would likely ask for an indication of sentence before allowing Le Joey to enter a plea to the lesser offence. And judges deal with much worse incidents than this in the scheme of things.