Joey Barton Found Guilty in Defamation Case Brought by Eni Aluko
London – Former professional footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of sending offensive posts on social media targeting sports broadcaster Eni Aluko, following a ruling in the High Court. The verdict, delivered last week, relates to messages Barton posted on X (formerly Twitter) in January 2024 during an online campaign against female commentators and pundits. He denied harassment and seeking to cause distress or anxiety.
The case centers on two messages Justice Lavender ruled defamatory in April, citing innuendo within Barton’s claims that Aluko played the “victim card” and “race card.” This follows a previous defamation case lost by Barton to broadcaster Jeremy Vine last year, costing the former footballer over £500,000, according to vine.While barton was cleared of six further counts of sending offensive messages last week, he may opt to settle with Aluko to avoid another possibly ample court-determined payout.
Aluko’s harassment claim specifically addresses messages sent by Barton during his broader online campaign. In a statement released after the verdict, Aluko stated that Barton’s messages had caused her distress and damaged her media career. ”Social media is a cesspit where too many peopel feel they can say things to others they wouldn’t dream of saying in real life under the guise of freedom of speech,” she said. “This is a reminder that actions online do not come without consequences.”
“The messages directed at me, Lucy Ward and Jeremy Vine by Joey Barton were deeply distressing and had a real damaging impact on my life and career. I am glad that justice has been served,” Aluko continued.
Barton is scheduled to be sentenced on December 8,with current bail conditions preventing him from mentioning the three victims – Aluko,lucy Ward,and Jeremy Vine – before then. his legal representatives have declined to comment.
