🔴 BARTON SENTENCED: FOOTBALLER GETS SUSPENDED JAIL OVER X ABUSE
Former professional footballer Joey Barton has received a six-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, at Liverpool Crown Court today for grossly offensive electronic communications targeting three media figures, following a conviction that saw a jury rule his conduct had "crossed the line between free speech and a crime."
Barton, 43, was found guilty of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety against broadcaster Jeremy Vine and television football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko between January and March 2024. The jury’s verdict focused on six specific posts on X (formerly Twitter). The court heard that these included a superimposed image comparing Ms. Aluko and Ms. Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West, and multiple posts referring to Mr. Vine as a "bike nonce" and making false insinuations of paedophilia.
The Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, Judge Andrew Menary KC, also ordered the ex-Manchester City and Newcastle player to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay costs exceeding £20,000. The sentence comes after a period of online abuse that the judge described as a "sustained campaign" designed "to humiliate and distress."
During the trial, the court was told that following an FA Cup tie in January 2024, Barton likened Ms. Ward and Ms. Aluko to the "Fred and Rose West of football commentary" before posting a photograph of the serial murderers with the pundits’ faces superimposed onto the image. While the jury cleared Barton of the verbal commentary analogy, they convicted him regarding the superimposed image, ruling it was grossly offensive.
Regarding Mr. Vine, who was subject to repeated references as "bike nonce," one post stated: "If you see this fella by a primary school call 999," followed by another: "Beware Man with Camera on his helmets cruising past primary schools. Call the Cops if spotted." The former manager of Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, who denied his aim was "to get clicks," was, however, found not guilty of six other allegations of sending grossly offensive electronic communications from the same period.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Menary KC stressed the distinction between permissible expression and criminality. He stated: "Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech," but warned that "when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia, designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit their protection." The judge conceded he was prepared to suspend the jail term despite being convinced the "custodial threshold" had been crossed, noting Barton had taken steps to moderate his online behaviour, though adding "only time will tell whether this resolve endures."
Two-year restraining orders were issued against each victim, prohibiting Mr. Barton from publishing any reference to them on any social media platform or broadcast medium.
In his victim impact statement, read to the court, Mr. Vine described the actions as "profoundly traumatising," leading him to feel his "reputation was sullied," adding that Barton "feeds off the pain of others." Ms. Ward detailed how the "barrage of hate" and Barton's posts, which she called "hateful," have left her "constantly afraid" not only of the defendant but of the people he had incited against her, resulting in her "questioning my own worth." Ms. Aluko described the malicious comparison to serial killers as "abhorrent and the most offensive criticism she has experienced in her life," noting she had to step up security, was too scared to leave her house, and cancelled engagements, resulting in a loss of income.
Speaking after leaving the court, Barton, who has 2.7 million X followers, commented: "If I could turn back the clock I would. I never meant to hurt anyone. It was a joke that got out of hand." He concluded: "Nobody wants to go to jail."
A Cheshire Police spokesperson commented that they hoped the case would deter others from sharing "abusive and hateful messages," noting that Barton's posts "would have been seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people, and yet he showed no regard or consideration for how this would impact on his victims and their wellbeing." They concluded that the sentence comes with "a number of strict conditions and should he breach these in any way he may face the prospect of time behind bars."
