Joey Barton avoids jail for comparing female football pundits to Fred and Rose West

Joey Barton has been spared prison over ‘grossly offensive’ social media posts about Jeremy Vine.

The former Premier League footballer, who also posted about football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, was found guilty last month.

Judge Andrew Menary KC today sentenced Barton, 43, to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for sending six grossly offensive social media posts.

He will avoid returning to the courtroom only if he doesn’t commit another offence in the next 18 months.

Judge Menary said there is ‘some prospect’ of rehabilitation and he will have to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community service.

Restraining orders have also been enforced, meaning Barton cannot contact Vine, Ward or Aluko.

The judge added: ‘You are not a man of previous good character.’

To his 2.7million followers, Barton called Vine a ‘bike nonce’ and compared Aluko and Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West in posts between January and March 2024.

Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court rejected Barton’s claims that the posts were simply ‘dark and stupid humour’, finding he ‘crossed the line between free speech and a crime’

Barton first commented on Aluko and Ward in January 2024, calling them ‘the Fred and Rose West of football commentary’, a couple who raped, tortured and murdered an unknown number of people.

The ex-Manchester City and QPR midfielder also uploaded an edited image of the serial killers with Aluko and Ward’s faces superimposed onto them.

Barton wrote: ‘We’ve established they cannot take a joke and understand metaphors. So, I’ll leave you with this.’

He also said Aluko was in the ‘Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category’ as she had ‘murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of football fans’ ears’.

In a separate post, he wrote: ‘Only there to tick boxes. DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] is a load of s**t.

‘Affirmative action. All off the back of the BLM/George Floyd nonsense.’

ITV said Barton’s remarks about Aluko and Ward were ‘based on gender’ and ‘clearly contemptible and shameful’.

Aluko said to be associated with serial killers was the ‘most offensive criticism’ she has experienced in her life.

She added to the court: ‘I remain deeply upset with the malicious comparison to serial killers and feel humiliated given that millions of people will have seen this comparison.’

Ward, a former English footballer, said Barton’s ‘hateful’ X posts led to bullying online.

A victim statement from Ward read to the court said: ‘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.’

After Barton began targeting the pundits, Vine replied, prompting the Baron to hurl offensive jabs at the TV presenter.

He wrote in one: ‘Have you been on Epstein Island? Are you going to be on these flight logs? Might as well own up now because I’d phone the police if I saw you near a primary school on ya bike.’

In a victim statement read in court today, Vine said the exchange was ‘profoundly traumatising’.

He said: ‘I felt my reputation was sullied. Joey Barton is a small man who feeds off the pain of others.’

Judge Menary said Barton’s comments on Vine were ‘obviously grossly offensive’ and forced Vine into the ‘humiliating position’ of correcting Barton.

In November, a jury found him guilty on six counts of the 12 counts and not guilty on six counts.

He was found guilty on two counts of sending grossly offensive communications to Aluko and Ward and not guilty on three counts relating to them.

He was found guilty on four counts of sending grossly offensive messages to Jeremy Vine and not guilty on three counts relating to him.

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