In November 2017, the former professional footballer Joey Barton was sentenced to six months in custody. This sentence was recently suspended for 18 months following his conviction for sending widely considered grossly offensive posts on social media. In November, a jury at Liverpool Crown Court returned a guilty verdict. This conviction came as a result of Barton’s social media comments directed at TV host Jeremy Vine and football analysts Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
Along with the suspended sentence, Barton was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. In addition he was ordered to pay costs of prosecution of £23,419. This case casts a light on the legal limits of free speech. That’s particularly true when social media platforms are weaponized to target people with violent and/or defamatory vitriol.
Barton’s subsequent tweet in which he branded Jeremy Vine a “bike nonce.” This term implied a deviant sexual attraction to minors. He then escalated the backlash by attacking Vine’s character with an undeniably incendiary tweet that asked, “Have you been on Epstein Island?” Much to everyone’s surprise, Barton tweeted a picture of that very thing. He superimposed the faces of Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko onto a photograph of serial murderers Fred and Rose West to draw a dramatic comparison.
His comments did not stop there. Barton characterized Aluko as “only there to tick boxes,” a clear dog whistle to the anti-diversity brigade, typical of a sports commentator who hates positive change. To do this, he further opined that “DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is a load of s**t.” He drew this line to actions taken by movements such as Black Lives Matter.
The trial court convicted Barton of several posts. These contributions drove a multimillion-dollar campaign of harassment against three public employees—first year UW professor Dr. He had been found not guilty in relation to three tweets associated with Vine. He was additionally charged with six counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications, which were dismissed.
Judge Andrew Menary KC said the level of violence Barton used was “extreme” when he sentenced Barton today.
“Robust debate, satire, mockery and even crude language may fall within permissible free speech. But when posts deliberately target individuals with vilifying comparisons to serial killers or false insinuations of paedophilia, designed to humiliate and distress, they forfeit their protection.” – Judge Andrew Menary KC
As part of the ruling, the court issued two-year restraining orders against Barton in favor of Jeremy Vine, Lucy Ward, and Eni Aluko. This extraordinary legal measure has been initiated to prevent the victims from being harassed or contacted by Barton while the short statute of limitations is in effect.
Barton’s conduct on social media has raised important questions about how far public figures should go in sharing their opinions online. The case serves as a reminder of the potential consequences associated with online conduct, especially when it crosses the line into harmful territory.
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