Joey Barton has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after being found guilty of six charges over “grossly offensive” posts about football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, as well as TV broadcaster Jeremy Vine.
The former men’s footballer has also been handed a two-year restraining order and 200 hours of community service after the posts on X.
Last month, Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with the intent to cause distress or anxiety. Two of which were against Aluko and Ward, with the other four aimed at Vine.
Barton was also cleared of six similar charges, three of which were aimed at Aluko and Ward.
What did Joey Barton post about Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward?
Regarding Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, Joey Barton said they were the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary” after a men’s FA Cup tie between Crystal Palace and Everton in January 2024.
While he was cleared of that post, the jury did find him guilty of another post where he superimposed the faces of Aluko and Ward on a photograph of the serial murderers.
He was also convicted over a post in which he said ITV pundit Aluko was “only there to tick boxes”. He added: “All off the back of the [Black Lives Matter]/George Floyd nonsense”.
The BBC have reported that the restraining order handed to Barton means that he can’t publish any reference to Aluko, Ward or Vine on social media or any broadcast medium for the next two years.
During his trial, Barton argued he was the victim of a “political prosecution” and that his comments were “dark and stupid humour”.
Speaking to the BBC after leaving court on Monday, he said: “If I could turn back the clock I would. I never meant to hurt anyone. It was a joke that got out of hand. Nobody wants to go to jail.”
What have Aluko and Ward said about Barton’s comments?
Ward, in her victim statement, as reported by the BBC, described Barton’s posts as “irresponsible” and “hateful.
She added: “I am now constantly afraid, not just of the defendant, but the people he has incited against me and his history only heightens my fear. This fear has seeped into every aspect of my life.”
Aluko, meanwhile, described Barton’s comments as the “most offensive criticism” she has experienced in her life.
She added: “I remain deeply upset with the malicious comparison to serial killers and feel humiliated given that millions of people will have seen this comparison.”
Aluko was inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame just days after Barton was found guilty in court.
Speaking during her induction on the Barton case, she said that she was “relieved that a difficult chapter was over”.
