Former footballer Joey Barton has been convicted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court on six counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications intended to cause distress or anxiety.
The 43-year-old was found guilty over a series of social media posts aimed at broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko. Jurors ruled that Barton had “crossed the line between free speech and criminality” with six posts made on X.
He was, however, acquitted of six other similar charges relating to messages posted between January and March 2024.
One of the incidents stemmed from a January 2024 FA Cup match between Crystal Palace and Everton, after which Barton compared Ward and Aluko to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary.” He also suggested Aluko belonged in the “Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category,” claiming she had “murdered hundreds of thousands of football fans’ ears.”
While the jury cleared Barton of the Stalin/Pol Pot comparison and the commentary analogy, they found that a superimposed image he posted was grossly offensive. He was also convicted over another post in which he wrote about Aluko: “Only there to tick boxes. DEI is a load of s***… All off the back of the BLM/George Floyd nonsense.”
Barton, who now comments regularly on social media and has 2.7 million followers on X, was also found guilty of several posts targeting Jeremy Vine. In them, he implied Vine had a sexual interest in children, repeatedly calling him a “bike nonce,” and asking if he had visited “Epstein Island.” He also wrote: “If you see this fella by a primary school call 999,” and described Vine as a “man with a camera on his helmet cruising past primary schools.”
He was cleared of three additional tweets referring to Vine.
Barton has been released on bail ahead of sentencing, set for December 8. Judge Andrew Menary KC noted that Barton appeared in court wearing a Union Jack-patterned scarf as the verdicts were delivered, calling it “a stunt,” and warned he would not be permitted to wear it at sentencing.
Following the verdict, Eni Aluko issued a statement saying the case underscored that online behaviour can carry real-world consequences.
“X is a cesspit where many hide behind freedom of speech to say things they never would in person,” she wrote. “The court’s decision today is a reminder that actions and words online have criminal consequences. The posts directed at me, Lucy Ward, and Jeremy Vine were deeply distressing and had a damaging impact on my life and career. I am grateful that justice has been served.”
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