Jordon Ibe avoids jail after assault conviction over former partner

Former Liverpool player Jordon Ibe has avoided a prison sentence after being convicted of assaulting his former partner during an argument in which he pulled out a section of her hair.

The 30-year-old appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday to be sentenced after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was given a 12-month community order, ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 27 days of rehabilitation activity, and fined £764.

Ibe represented himself in court and said he had made “a serious mistake”, adding that he felt genuine remorse.

The Metropolitan Police said the former England youth international was arrested at Luton Airport in January in connection with an incident that had taken place in December. He was charged in February and changed his plea in July, when he admitted the offence.

The court had previously heard details of an argument between Ibe and his former partner Amy Mason in Lambeth, south London. Mason had asked him to return money she said he owed her.

During the dispute, Mason called Ibe a drug addict. The court heard that he then grabbed her hair and pulled out a section, leaving a bald patch on her head.

Ibe is currently without a club after leaving Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia in June.

He began his career in the academies of Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers before joining Liverpool in 2012. Ibe made 58 appearances for Liverpool’s first team and also spent time on loan at Birmingham City and Derby County.

He moved to Bournemouth in 2016 and remained with the club until 2020. Across his spells with Bournemouth and Liverpool, he made 119 Premier League appearances.

Ibe dropped into non-league football in 2023 when he joined Ebbsfleet United. He subsequently had a series of short spells in lower divisions before moving to Bulgaria in 2025.

The case was heard after Ibe’s conviction for assaulting his former partner and causing actual bodily harm. His sentence means he will serve the punishment in the community rather than be given an immediate custodial term.