Crime · 8 November 2025
Ex-Footballer Joey Barton Convicted for Grossly Offensive Social Media Posts
Barton has been found guilty of sending grossly offensive messages on X, targeting broadcaster Jeremy Vine and pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward. A jury at Liverpool Crown Court convicted him on six counts of communications intended to cause distress or anxiety between January and March 2024. Barton was cleared of six other charges and will be sentenced on 8 December. The court ruled his posts went beyond free expression into criminal harassment.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs