Joey Barton Found Guilty of Online Offences
london, UK – Former Newcastle United and England midfielder Joey Barton, 43, has been found guilty of six counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications following a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. the verdict centres on posts made by Barton on X, formerly Twitter, between January and March 2024.
The jury persistent that Barton “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with his messages, rejecting his defense that the posts where intended as dark humour and banter.Barton had denied all 12 counts against him, and was cleared on the remaining six.
The prosecution argued that while Barton’s comments were ”cutting, caustic, controversial and forthright,” they went “beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society.”
Evidence presented during the trial included a post comparing football commentators Lucy ward and Eni Aluko to serial killers Fred and Rose west, with their faces superimposed onto a photograph of the couple. Another message allegedly implied broadcaster Jeremy Vine had a sexual interest in children, following Vine’s question about whether Barton had suffered a brain injury.
Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, claimed the posts were “dark and stupid humour” and insisted he had no intention of suggesting Vine was a paedophile.
The case highlights the growing legal scrutiny of online behavior and the boundaries of free speech in the digital age. Barton, who boasts over two million followers on X, had previously claimed he was the victim of a “political prosecution” and that his aim was not “to get clicks and promote himself.”
