Breaking news: Joey Barton to miss six games and fined £25k for Ousmane Dabo assault
Published 15:20 05/09/08 By By Ann Gripper, Mirror.co.uk
Joey Barton has been handed a 12 game ban - six games of which are suspended - and a £25,000 fine for his assault on former Manchester City team mate Ousmane Dabo by an FA disciplinary hearing.
The Newcastle midfielder admitted the violent conduct charge last month but requested a personal hearing. His former boss Kevin Keegan, who resigned from the club yesterday, was due to attend the hearing as a character witness but is thought to have submitted a character statement by fax instead.
A four-man panel, which included former England manager Graham Taylor, took just under two hours to reach their verdict. Barton now has two weeks to appeal the ban, which rules him out until at least October 25. But he could be available for Newcastle's derby match with local rivals Sunderland that day.
An FA statement said: "Much has been written about Mr Barton over recent months. The Regulatory Commission had the benefit of taking all appropriate information into consideration. The Commission members considered principally the serious attack by Mr Barton that clearly cannot be accepted.
"The members also had to take into consideration the sanctions imposed by the courts and the pro-active support Mr Barton has received from Newcastle United FC and other professional bodies. "The Commission members wanted to punish the offence appropriately but give Mr Barton an opportunity to ensure his professional conduct does not falter again and ensure he is fully aware of the consequences should he make another serious error of judgement." Dabo, who has since left Manchester City for Italian club Lazio, was left with cuts and bruises to his face, as well as a suspected detached retina and said the attack was so bad that it had left him "looking like the elephant man". In July Barton was given a four-month suspended prison sentence for the assault. Barton was jailed for six months in May for a separate assault on a man in Liverpool last December.
Joey Barton's Daily Mirror rap sheet
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