Former footballer Joey Barton has been spared jail after sending grossly offensive social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
Last month a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Barton (43), had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with six posts on X.
Following a televised FA Cup tie in January 2024 between Crystal Palace and Everton he likened Ward and Aluko to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary” and went on to superimpose their faces on to a photograph of the serial murderers.
In another post about Aluko, Barton said: “Only there to tick boxes. DEI [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] is a load of s**t. Affirmative action. All off the back of the BLM/George Floyd nonsense.”
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The former Manchester City, Newcastle United and Marseille player was found not guilty of six other allegations that he sent a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety between January and March 2024.
Jurors cleared Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, over the commentary analogy with the Wests but ruled the superimposed image was grossly offensive.
Giving evidence, Barton, who managed Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, said he believed he was the victim of a “political prosecution” and denied his aim was “to get clicks and promote himself”.
At Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, judge Andrew Menary KC sentenced Barton to six months in custody, suspended for 18 months. – PA
