Former Premier League midfielder Joey Barton, 43, has been found guilty of six counts of sending "grossly offensive" social media posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court determined that Barton "crossed the line between free speech and a crime" with a series of posts made between January and March 2024. He was cleared of a further six counts.
The charges relate to posts Barton made about football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, and broadcaster Jeremy Vine. Specifically, Barton called Jeremy Vine a "bike nonce" and compared Aluko and Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West. The prosecution argued successfully that these posts were not simply crude banter but were intentionally offensive and caused distress.
Barton, who has 2.7 million followers on X, claimed he was the victim of a "political prosecution". He downplayed the posts as "crude banter" and "a spat between celebrities online," insisting he did not intend to cause distress, anxiety, or put anyone in danger. He stated that his comments toward Vine were "a wind-up" and "a bad, dark, juvenile joke," and that he did not intend to actually call Vine a paedophile. During cross-examination, Barton even retorted "Are you calling me a nonce?" after the prosecutor Peter Wright KC called his explanations “nonsense".
Throughout the trial, Barton maintained that the posts were not meant to be taken literally and were part of online arguments. However, the jury sided with the prosecution, who argued that Barton's words were not protected by free speech and instead constituted a criminal offense.
The victims in the case have stated that Barton's posts caused them significant distress and even put them in physical danger. "I do believe these messages put me in danger, in physical danger,” one of the victims said.
Barton, who played for teams including Manchester City, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers, and Burnley during his Premier League career, retired in 2017. Since then, he has managed lower-league teams Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers. He has also become a social commentator.
Barton is currently on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8. His bail conditions prohibit him from mentioning the three victims in any way before then. The case has sparked debate about the line between free speech and criminal behavior online, particularly regarding social media posts targeting public figures.
