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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/7124751.stm
Newcastle's Joey Barton insists he does not fear
going to prison if he is found guilty of assaulting former Manchester
City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.
The 25-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a charge of
actual bodily harm and now faces a trial, which is expected to start in
June 2008.
"If you go to prison for defending yourself then, yes, I suppose I'll think about it," he told the BBC.
"But I don't care. It doesn't scare me at all. I've done nothing wrong."
The alleged assault took place at City's training ground on 1 May.
If found guilty, the England midfielder could face a
sentence of up to five years in jail but he said: "I can go home and
sleep at night and know I've done what I thought was right.
"I don't think I'm a bad person. If the incidents I've
been involved in had been to anyone other than a Premier League
footballer, I don't think they'd even be mentioned.
"It was something that I've seen five, six, seven times since I've been a professional footballer."
Barton says his reputation has left him short of support among fans.
"Nobody cares whether I'm innocent or guilty - nobody
cares. I'm already guilty before I've been sat in front of a judge -
that's the disappointing thing," he said.
"It's my reputation. It's my fault I've got that
reputation, but you shouldn't be slaughtered for trying to make
yourself a better person. One day I will get to speak about the full
facts."
Barton was suspended by City and subsequently sold to Newcastle United in a £5.8m deal in June.
He returned to action for the Magpies in November following a metatarsal injury that had kept him out since the summer.
Newcastle's Joey Barton insists he does not fear
going to prison if he is found guilty of assaulting former Manchester
City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.
The 25-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a charge of
actual bodily harm and now faces a trial, which is expected to start in
June 2008.
"If you go to prison for defending yourself then, yes, I suppose I'll think about it," he told the BBC.
"But I don't care. It doesn't scare me at all. I've done nothing wrong."
The alleged assault took place at City's training ground on 1 May.
If found guilty, the England midfielder could face a
sentence of up to five years in jail but he said: "I can go home and
sleep at night and know I've done what I thought was right.
"I don't think I'm a bad person. If the incidents I've
been involved in had been to anyone other than a Premier League
footballer, I don't think they'd even be mentioned.
"It was something that I've seen five, six, seven times since I've been a professional footballer."
Barton says his reputation has left him short of support among fans.
"Nobody cares whether I'm innocent or guilty - nobody
cares. I'm already guilty before I've been sat in front of a judge -
that's the disappointing thing," he said.
"It's my reputation. It's my fault I've got that
reputation, but you shouldn't be slaughtered for trying to make
yourself a better person. One day I will get to speak about the full
facts."
Barton was suspended by City and subsequently sold to Newcastle United in a £5.8m deal in June.
He returned to action for the Magpies in November following a metatarsal injury that had kept him out since the summer.
