Who is Joey Barton and why was he in court?

Joey Barton has a huge online following with 2.7 million followers on X

Former footballer Joey Barton was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court over social media posts he made on X about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football commentators Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Barton, 43, was found guilty of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety which he had died.

Who is Joey Barton?

Joey Barton was born in Huyton, Merseyside.

He made his debut for Manchester City in 2003 and played there until 2007 during which time he made his one and only appearance for England.

He joined Newcastle United for £5.8m.

He later played for Queens Park Rangers, Burnley - when he helped them win promotion to the Premier League in 2016 - as well as Rangers and Marseille.

The 43-year-old, who now lives in Widnes, Cheshire, then went into football management with spells at the helm at Fleetwood Town and most recently Bristol Rovers.

He was sacked from Rovers in October 2023 after almost three years in charge.

He has a huge online following with 2.7m followers on X and he presents a podcast, called Common Sense with Joey Barton.

Joey Barton played for Manchester City until moving to Newcastle in 2007 for £5.8m

Who are Jeremy Vine, Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko?

Jeremy Vine is a TV and radio presenter. He hosts a BBC Radio 2 show and television programmes on Channel 5.

Lucy Ward is a former women's footballer who played for Leeds United Ladies. She is a television commentator and pundit, working for Sky Sports, BBC and ITV.

Eni Aluko played for Birmingham City, Chelsea and Juventus and is a former Lioness, who scored 33 international goals in 102 appearances before retiring in 2020 and moving on to a career in broadcasting, becoming an ITV and BT Sport regular.

Why was Joey Barton on trial?

Barton was charged with 12 counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety, which he denies.

The charges related to posts he made on X about Jeremy Vine, Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

What did he post on X?

The court heard he described former footballers Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko as "the Fred and Rosemary West of football commentary", a reference to the notorious serial killers, in a post on X following a televised FA Cup tie between Crystal Palace and Everton.

Mr Barton later posted an image of the serial killers with the faces of the two pundits superimposed on to them, the trial heard.

Mr Barton also used slang to refer to Mr Vine as a paedophile after he engaged in conversation with Mr Barton about his posts about Ms Ward and Ms Aluko.

Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, told the court: "He sent a post to Jeremy Vine's X account in which he referred to him as 'you big bike nonce'."

Mr Barton was found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety. The charges related to posts he made on X about Jeremy Vine, Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

What was said during the trial?

Ms Ward told jurors the posts by Mr Barton "intimidated" her.

She said: "Fred and Rose West tortured, sexually abused and killed children, so I couldn't really work out why I was being called that. At first it was very, very harsh but then obviously it continued.

"It was getting to the stage now where I got a little scared, physically scared really."

The football pundit said: "I felt vulnerable going to games."

Ms Aluko said she was "astounded" by the posts as she had previously exchanged "friendly, supportive" private messages with Mr Barton.

She told the court his posts about her left her "devastated", adding "for about a week I couldn't leave my house".

Mr Vine told the trial that being called a "bike nonce" left him "completely devastated" and resulted in him having "sleepless nights" and feeling "scared and upset".

He claimed Barton posted his address online which made him feel "physically unsafe" and he took advice on his security.

When Barton took to the stand he argued he was the victim of a "political prosecution" and that his comments aimed at Ms Aluko and Ms Ward were simply "dark and stupid humour".

He accepted his posts had caused anxiety and distress to "the girls and Jeremy" but that had not been his intention.

Asked what he intended to mean with his Fred and Rose West comparison, he said: "They were just murdering the broadcast in my opinion.

"I was trying to make a serious point in a provocative way. It was dark and stupid but it was a joke."

He said his "bike nonce" references to Mr Vine in various posts were in response to the presenter "trying to goad him" to go on his Channel 5 show to discuss his views about female football pundits.

Barton said: "I was trying to make a joke of it. I didn't intend to call him a paedophile.

"My understanding of the word 'bike nonce' is it is someone who is massively into something."

What was the verdict?

Jurors found Barton guilty of six counts of sending grossly offensive social media posts .

They cleared him of six other counts - including the comparison to the Wests - but ruled the superimposed image was grossly offensive.

It follows Barton being found guilty in March of assault by beating after pushing his wife to the floor and kicking her in the head, for which he was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence.

When will he be sentenced?

He is due to be sentenced on 8 December.