Former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of six counts of sending “grossly offensive” social media posts directed at broadcaster Jeremy Vine and television pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
Barton, 43, compared Aluko and Ward to the serial killer couple Fred and Rose West, and called Vine a “bike nonce” in posts sent between January and March 2024.
Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court accepted the prosecution’s argument that Barton had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” on six counts.
But they cleared the ex-Manchester City, QPR and Newcastle midfielder of six other counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
