A man allegedly assaulted by former footballer Joey Barton during a fight at a golf club may lose his sight in one eye – as he is pictured for the first time.
Married father-of-two Kevin Lynch, 51, is said to have been attacked by the ex-Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers midfielder at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club, in Liverpool, on Sunday evening.
Barton, 43, appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, where he was denied bail and was remanded in custody for a month.
Liverpool Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Lynch – a headteacher – suffered injuries to his face during the alleged assault and there is a possibility he may lose sight in one eye.
Police previously said he was in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
Barton, who has been charged alongside his friend and roofer Gary O’Grady, 50, spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
He wore a blue half-zip sweater and grey jogging bottoms during the court appearance.
Both men are accused of assaulting Mr Lynch, who has managed several non-league football clubs in Merseyside and elsewhere, occasioning grievous bodily harm (GBH).
A large number of police officers were scrambled to the scene at the golf club, with forensics officers cordoning off the club and scouring the grounds for clues.
Neighbours described hearing a man groaning in pain and seeing pools of blood on the street before paramedics arrived.
On Tuesday a woman who answered the door at Mr Lynch’s semi-detached home, around five minutes’ drive from the golf club, declined to comment.
District Judge James Hatton granted O’Grady bail but remanded Barton in custody to appear before Liverpool Crown Court next month.
Barton, O’Grady and Mr Lynch are all registered as members of Huyton and Prescot Golf Club.
Mr Lynch, who has previously managed Prescot Cables FC, Marine AFC and City of Liverpool FC, is also the founder and headteacher of NexGen Academy, a school for children with additional needs, in Liverpool.
Earlier on Tuesday, Barton, who has one England cap and also played for Newcastle, Rangers, Burnley and Marseille, was ordered to pay £300,000 to former England footballer Eni Aluko after she successfully sued him for libel.
Former England footballer and pundit Ms Aluko brought legal action against Barton over two posts he made in 2024 on social media site X.
Gervase de Wilde, for Ms Aluko, told the High Court that Barton had wrongly claimed she had ‘cynically sought to exploit her status as an alleged victim of racism and bullying’, and that she was a hypocrite.
Barton – who managed Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers – did not attend the hearing, with Mr de Wilde telling the court that he ‘was arrested yesterday and is currently being held in custody’.
The barrister said that between January and August 2024, Barton published 48 posts relating to Ms Aluko on his X account, adding that he had ‘carried out a deliberately targeted public campaign of vilification’.
Mr de Wilde said one post included an image of Ms Aluko’s head superimposed onto serial killer Rosemary West’s body.
He continued: ‘The campaign amounted to an attack on multiple aspects of her life and personality.’
‘Mr Barton’s campaign caused Ms Aluko enormous distress. When she sought to defend herself against Mr Barton’s conduct, and that of his followers, he criticised and attacked her for doing so,’ he added.
According to a court order, Barton has been told to pay £339,000 – with the first £100,000 plus interest due by March 24.
