Joey Barton slammed for calling his brother's racist murder of Anthony Walker 'a scrap'
Ex-Manchester City footballer Joey Barton has been accused of "heaping further pain and suffering" on the family of murdered teenager Anthony Walker after calling his unprovoked racist killing a "scrap".
His brother Michael Barton was 17 when he was jailed for life alongside his cousin Paul Taylor after the murder of 18-year-old Anthony Walker with an ice axe in Huyton in 2005.
In a clip from a podcast, Joey Barton says: "My brother lost 17 years of his life from 17, because his mate, who was his cousin at the time, thought it would be a fantastic idea, when they were having a scrap, to pull an ice axe out and swing it into somebody and it stuck in his head."
Anthony Walker was ambushed in a park by Michael Barton and his cousin Paul Taylor, then 20, who drove an ice axe into Anthony's skull causing fatal brain injuries.Both men were found guilty of murder. Michael Barton was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years, but was released on licence in September 2022 after a Parole Board concluded he had made "exceptional progress" behind bars.
The clip from the podcast hosted by Youtuber James English, has been slammed in a statement by the Anthony Walker Foundation, for its "inaccurate" comments.
The statement says: "The Anthony Walker Foundation has become aware of an excerpt from a James English podcast featuring Joey Barton, wherein he refers to the murder of Anthony Walker by his brother Michael.
"We consider his description of Anthony’s murder as factually incorrect, lacking in any sensitivity given the serious nature of the incident, in which Anthony Walker tragically lost his life to a violent racially motivated attack by Mr Barton’s brother and his cousin Paul Taylor.
"This year is the eighteenth anniversary of Anthony's murder, so we express our hope that Mr Barton will reflect on the impact of his words and the profound significance of the actions of his brother as he walks the street a free man. It is worth noting that Michael Barton did not lose 17 years of his life, the only life lost that day was Anthony’s and not for 17 years, but forever.
"It saddens us that someone with his reach and status would seem to trivialise the incident that led to such an outcome and heap further pain and suffering upon the family and friends of Anthony.
"The Anthony Walker Foundation will continue to strive for a more inclusive world where such an incident never reoccurs. Our charity will continue to tackle racism, hate crime and discrimination by providing educational opportunities and victim support services and by promoting equity and inclusion for all."
After the murder, Barton and Thompson fled abroad. Joey Barton, who had spells with Manchester City, Newcastle United, Rangers and Burnley, publicly appealed for them to hand themselves in, and the pair eventually returned and were arrested.
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