Joey Barton X posts ‘crossed line between free speech and crime’

Retired football player and coach Joey Barton “crossed the line between freedom of expression and crime” with his social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and female television pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, a jury has heard.

The former Manchester City midfielder, 43, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court charged with 12 counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or alarm.

The accusations stem from posts made on social media platform X in January and March last year.

Prosecutor Peter Wright KC told jurors that Mr Barton had displayed “highly deliberate behaviour” and targeted the trio with “numerous offensive electronic communications”.

Mr Barton is accused of posting vulgar messages describing Mr Vine as a pedophile.

He is also accused of describing former football players Ms Ward and Ms Aluko as the “Fred and Rosemary West of football commentary”, a reference to the notorious serial killers.

Mr Wright said Mr Barton, from Widnes, Cheshire, who denied all the accusations, had a “significant following of over two million on X” and that his comments about his social media performance “could be described as sharp, caustic, controversial and outspoken”.

He added: “Some might even find some of this humorous.

“Everyone has the right to express their views on all of this.

“In a democratic and free society, they have the right to express views that are even offensive, shocking or personally rude when considered and complied with contemporary standards of an open, fair, multiracial, equal and diverse society.”

“What one has no right to do is to electronically publish communications beyond what is socially acceptable by applying these standards.”

Mr Wright added: “We say the defendant, Mr Barton, crossed the line between free speech and crime 12 times.

“On 12 occasions between early January and mid-March last year, he engaged in highly deliberate conduct in which he targeted three individuals who were in the public eye in different ways, subjecting them to a series of grossly offensive electronic communications with the intention of causing distress or concern through their postings.”

Mr Wright said the defendant had publicly expressed disapproval of female commentators in what he saw as a male-only domain of football.

Following the televised FA Cup tie between Crystal Palace and Everton, X in his post likened Ms Aluko and Ms Ward to “comments of Fred and Rose West”, adding that the former was “just there to tick the boxes”.

The court heard Mr Barton later shared a photo of the serial killers with the faces of two experts superimposed on each other.

Mr Wright said Mr Vine, the TV and radio host, responded to Mr Barton’s comparisons by posting on

“Brain injury can cause changes in a person’s character, such as disinhibition, anti-social behavior. I hope he is okay.”

The prosecutor told the jury: “The defendant read these interventions as insults, not as an expression of concern for his own health.

“He sent a post to Jeremy Vine’s X account, referring to him as a ‘one-time great cyclist’.”

Among other posts, Mr Wright said Mr Barton reposted a photo of Mr Vine with the caption: “If you see this man near the primary school, call 999.”

“We say that this defamatory, clearly childish and childish behavior by a grown man towards these people is beyond the limits of what is acceptable in society and therefore qualifies as a crime.”

Mr Barton also played for Manchester City, as well as Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, Burnley and Marseille, before moving into management after his retirement.

He was sacked from his most recent managerial role at Bristol Rovers in October 2023 after almost three years in charge.

The trial continues.