Joey Barton sentenced for offensive social media posts

Описание: Former footballer Joey Barton has avoided jail after sending six grossly offensive social media posts.

In November, the ex-Premier League player, 43, was convicted of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Barton had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with six posts he made on X (formerly Twitter) about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Following a televised FA Cup tie between Crystal Palace and Everton in January 2024 , Barton likened Ward and Aluko in a post on X to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary”.

He went on to superimpose the faces of the two women onto a photograph of the serial murderers.

Barton had also tweeted Aluko was in the “Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category” as she had “murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of football fans’ ears”.

Watch more on Independent TV: https://tinyurl.com/yc7ukx9n

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking newsbrand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded.

Subscribe: https://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-Independent

Find us on social:
TikTok /   / independent  
Instagram /   / the.independent  
X (Twitter) /   / independent  
Facebook /   / theindependentonline  

Download the iOS & Android app: https://tinyurl.com/2s3ts5dh
Sign up to our newsletters: https://tinyurl.com/2bmw565x

Help to support truly independent journalism. Every dollar you contribute will directly fund additional special reports and investigations from a free-thinking, award-winning newsroom you can trust: https://www.independent.co.uk/donations