Joey Barton has been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court facing twelve charges of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with the intent to cause distress or anxiety. On Friday, the jury found him guilty of six counts related to offensive social media posts directed at Vine, Ward, and Aluko, while acquitting him of the remaining six counts. The day before the verdict, Barton stated in court that he did not intend to label Vine as a paedophile, describing his comments as a “bad, dark, juvenile joke.” He characterized his references to the broadcaster as merely a “wind-up,” asserting, “It was not meant to call him a paedophile. I have not at any point tried to cause distress or anxiety or risk his life or his daughters’ lives. I don’t want people to fear for their lives; I’m a dad. I cannot believe I’m on trial for this. Words on a social media site.” Barton further expressed his belief that the case was an example of the state attempting to undermine him, stating, “This was the state, in my opinion, trying to squeeze me into the ground. It’s a spat between celebrities online. I believe this is a highly politicised case. This is a state prosecution for whatever their agendas are in pushing on people.” During the proceedings, former England international Aluko expressed her astonishment at Barton’s comparison of her to notorious serial killers, particularly given their previous exchanges of friendly and supportive messages. She noted, “I was surprised because I had never met Joey Barton in person before. I was genuinely appreciative of his support. Between 2017 and 2020, he and I exchanged supportive messages. I took Joey Barton as I found him. Given his reputation, I didn’t have to have that response to him.” Aluko added, “If you see those messages, you would think those two people are friendly, supportive, and encouraging. That’s why I was so astounded by a comparison to serial killers. I would have expected, if he did have a comment to make about my punditry, he would maybe message me and say so. But the fact that he did that publicly suggests it was malicious and intended to attract attention, especially while promoting a podcast.” Similarly, Vine commented that Barton’s remarks made him feel “unsafe,” indicating that the ex-Bristol Rovers boss had left a “cloud of filth” with his words. He stated, “I thought it was very vicious to post their faces over two mass murderers of children. I was looking for an explanation and said about a brain injury as a way of underlining my own feelings that he had crossed a line. I genuinely believe what Barton did made me physically unsafe. I took some advice about my security. I varied my movements. I didn’t want to communicate the dangers to my daughters. Because of this cloud of filth Barton had released, I had to explain to them. I can only summarise by saying I believe these messages put me in physical danger.” Judge Andrew Menary KC admonished Barton for wearing a scarf adorned with a British flag, calling it a “stunt,” and instructed him not to wear it again at his sentencing, scheduled for December 8. He also reminded Barton that his bail conditions prohibit him from mentioning the three victims in any way prior to sentencing.
