Joey Barton handed suspended sentence over grossly offensive social media posts
Former professional footballer and coach Joey Barton has received a suspended prison sentence for grossly offensive posts he made on X (formerly Twitter) about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.
A jury at Liverpool Crown Court previously found Barton, 43, guilty on six counts arising from posts made between January and March 2024. He was acquitted on six other counts. The jury concluded that several posts crossed the line from commentary into unlawful abuse, including material that vilified Ms Aluko and Ms Ward by comparing them to serial killers and circulating a manipulated image. Barton denied he had set out to cause distress.
At sentencing, His Honour Judge Andrew Menary KC imposed six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. Barton must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay prosecution costs of £23,419. The court also made two-year restraining orders protecting Mr Vine, Ms Aluko and Ms Ward, barring Barton from making direct or indirect references to them on social media or via broadcast.
This case underlines a point we routinely advise on: freedom of expression online is not absolute. Where posts are targeted, grossly offensive and likely to cause distress, criminal liability can follow—particularly when there is a sustained pattern of behaviour.
