Joey Barton Gets Suspended Sentence for Offensive Posts

Former footballer Joey Barton was sentenced to a six-month prison term, suspended for 18 months, at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday for sending six grossly offensive social media posts intended to cause distress or anxiety. The 43-year-old, from Widnes in Cheshire and a former player for clubs including Manchester City and Newcastle United, targeted football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, as well as broadcaster Jeremy Vine, in messages posted on X, formerly Twitter, between January and March 2024.

The posts originated after a televised FA Cup match between Everton and Crystal Palace on January 17, 2024. Barton compared Ward and Aluko to the serial killers Fred and Rose West, describing them as the "Fred and Rose West of football commentary." He also shared an edited image superimposing their faces onto a photograph of the murderers. Jurors last month convicted him on this image, deeming it grossly offensive, but acquitted him on the verbal analogy alone. In another post about Aluko, Barton wrote that she was "only there to tick boxes," criticizing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as "a load of shit," affirmative action, and linked to the Black Lives Matter movement...