Ex-Footballer Joey Barton Bags Sentence For Abusive Social Media Posts

Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been handed a six-month jail sentence and suspended for 18 months after being found guilty of posting offensive messages about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Barton, 43, was sentenced on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court after a jury last month convicted him on six counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety. He was cleared of six other counts.

The court heard that between January and March 2024, Barton used social media platform X to publish a series of abusive posts in which he compared Aluko and Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West and falsely portrayed Vine as a paedophile.

In addition to the suspended sentence, the former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community work, undertake rehabilitation activity and pay more than £23,000 in prosecution costs.

He was also given restraining orders barring him from directly or indirectly contacting or referring to the three victims on any social media platform or broadcast medium for the next two years.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Andrew Menary KC said Barton had crossed the “custodial threshold” but suspended the prison term after noting that he had taken steps to moderate his behaviour. The judge said the case demonstrated the limits of free speech.

“Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech. But when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit that protection,” the judge said

He added that Barton’s actions amounted to a “sustained campaign of online abuse” that was “targeted, extreme and deliberately harmful.”

During the hearing, the court was told that Vine feared for his safety after Barton encouraged followers to call police if they saw him near a primary school. Lucy Ward told the court she lived in constant fear, while Eni Aluko said she felt humiliated by the posts.

Speaking briefly after the sentencing, Barton described the posts as “a joke that got out of hand” and said he never intended to hurt anyone.

Barton is no stranger to controversies, having built a reputation as one of English football’s most temperamental figures both on and off the pitch.

During his playing career with clubs including Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, he was repeatedly sanctioned for violent conduct, including red cards, training-ground clashes and suspensions.

His criminal record includes convictions for assault and affray, most notably a 2007 street attack in Liverpool for which he was jailed, and later incidents involving teammates.

Barton’s career was as defined by disciplinary issues as by his ability in midfield, with managers often forced to balance his talent against his volatility. Since retiring, Barton’s controversies have shifted largely to the public and digital space.

As a manager, he was sacked by Fleetwood Town in 2023 following a series of incidents and complaints, and he has remained a frequent lightning rod on social media for inflammatory comments, particularly around women in football and broadcasting.