Former footballer and ex-Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton is in court this week accused of sending a series of highly offensive social media posts, some of which contained personal slurs against TV broadcaster Jeremy Vine and others in the public eye.
The posts, prosecutors say, went beyond free speech and were intended to cause distress.
The Charges and Allegations
Barton, 43, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges related to online communications sent between January and March of last year.
Prosecutor Peter Wright described the messages as “defamatory, puerile, and infantile behaviour by a grown man” and said they were deliberately designed to inflict harm.
Of the 12 posts, five were directed at football commentators Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward.
In one shocking example, Barton superimposed their faces onto a photo of serial killers Fred and Rose West.
The majority of the posts, however, targeted Jeremy Vine.
Barton alleged that Vine, when seen near a primary school on a bike, should prompt a police call.
He also implied a connection between Vine and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and referenced other public figures in a manner intended to shock.
Explicit Slurs and Social Media Conduct
Among the most inflammatory posts, Barton repeatedly referred to Vine as a “bike nonce” and suggested anyone spotting him near children should contact authorities.
In tweets, he asked Vine if he had been on Epstein Island or appeared on related flight logs, linking these allegations to other figures such as Elvis Presley and Rolf Harris.
The posts about Aluko and Ward similarly drew harsh analogies, with Barton likening them to notorious historical figures, including Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot, in addition to the Fred and Rose West comparison.
Prosecution Argues Intent to Harm
Peter Wright told the jury that while people in a free society are entitled to express strong opinions, Barton’s communications crossed the line into criminal behaviour.
“He engaged in a quite deliberate course of conduct targeting three public figures, subjecting them to a slew of grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety,” Wright said.
The prosecutor suggested that Barton’s attacks on Aluko and Ward reflected his “publicly expressed disapproval of female commentators” in football and may have been designed to boost his social media following or reflect genuinely held beliefs.
Exchange With Broadcasters and Escalation
When ITV defended Aluko and Ward via social media, Barton responded with foul-mouthed tweets telling the broadcaster to “shut up you f**king idiots” and posted the image of the Wests with the commentators, mocking them for allegedly not understanding metaphors.
Barton then turned his attention to Jeremy Vine, launching a series of tweets after Vine speculated that Barton might have a brain injury causing a loss of inhibition.
In March 2024, following threats of civil defamation proceedings, Barton began using the hashtag “#downwithbikenonce” directed at Vine.
Barton Chooses Silence Under Police Caution
When given the chance to answer police questions about his online posts concerning Aluko, Ward, and Vine, Barton opted to remain silent under caution.
The trial, expected to last a week, continues tomorrow as the court hears more evidence and considers the impact of Barton’s social media conduct.