High Court Orders Barton to Pay Aluko £339,000 in Libel Case

The High Court in London ruled on Tuesday that former professional footballer Joey Barton must pay former England international Eni Aluko £339,000 in damages and legal costs following a libel lawsuit over defamatory social media posts. The judgment, which stayed proceedings after Barton conceded key elements of the case, marks the conclusion of a legal battle stemming from online harassment that began in 2024.

Aluko, a 39-year-old former striker for Chelsea and England who now works as a television pundit, sued Barton over two specific posts he made on the platform X in 2024. In them, Barton falsely accused her of cynically exploiting her claims of experiencing racism and bullying in the sport, while labeling her a hypocrite. Court proceedings revealed a broader pattern of abuse, with Barton publishing 48 posts about Aluko between January and August 2024. These formed what her barrister, Gervase de Wilde, described as a "deliberately targeted public campaign of vilification" that attacked multiple aspects of her professional and personal life.

One particularly inflammatory post featured an image of Aluko's head superimposed onto the body of serial killer Rosemary West, which de...