Barton to switch jails over fears for his safety
May 24 2008 by Ben Guy, The Journal
SHAMED Newcastle United star Joey Barton is to be relocated from a Liverpool jail because of fears for his safety.
The midfielder was jailed for six months on Tuesday for a violent drunken assault in Liverpool city centre at Christmas.
Barton was initially sent to HMP Liverpool for assessment, but bosses there decided he should be sent to an open prison to avoid revenge attacks from fellow inmates.
He is now to be taken to a jail, possibly in the south of the country, where it is hoped that he will be less well known and less of a target for troublemakers.
A prison source said: “He came to Liverpool and was kept on J-wing which is very small and only takes 60 prisoners.
“Staff were conscious of the fact that they needed to get him away before the Bank Holiday weekend.
“The thinking is that if they send him outside the area he may be safer because less people know him, but he is a Premier League footballer.
“Some prisoners might try to make a name for themselves having a famous footballer alongside them.
“It might not be a happy period for him. Just because he’s a footballer doesn’t mean he’ll be treated different to the rest.”
A move to an open prison would be good news for the midfielder, as he would have much more freedom than if he was in a category B jail.
Another factor in the decision to move Barton may have been the high numbers of inmates currently in Walton Prison, Liverpool, where he would have been likely to serve his term.
The 25-year-old is likely to serve just a third of his sentence, meaning he could be available for selection for Newcastle for the new season.
Some prison sources have suggested Barton could even serve less than two months and be let out on a tagging system.
At the hearing earlier this week Barton admitted affray and assault after attacking two people, one a 16-year-old boy, outside McDonald's, on Lord Street, at 5am, on December 27.
The Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Henry Globe QC described the incident as “persistent and frightening street violence.”
