Ex-footballer Joey Barton guilty over 'grossly offensive' X posts

Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of six counts of sending "grossly offensive" social media posts directed at broadcaster Jeremy Vine and television pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Barton, 43, compared Aluko and Ward to the serial killer couple Fred and Rose West, and called Vine a "bike nonce" in posts sent between January and March 2024.

Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court accepted the prosecution's argument that Barton had "crossed the line between free speech and a crime" on six counts.

But they cleared the ex-Manchester City, QPR and Newcastle midfielder of six other counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

Judge Andrew Menary KC warned Barton about wearing a scarf printed with a British flag in the dock as a "stunt", and told his legal team he would not be permitted to wear it during his sentencing hearing on 8 December.

He was reminded his bail conditions prohibit him from mentioning the three victims in any way before he is sentenced.

During his trial Barton argued he was the victim of a "political prosecution" and that his jokes aimed at football pundits Aluko and Ward were simply "dark and stupid humour".

He said he had been "trying to make a serious point in a provocative way".