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Joey Barton is facing another court case and a potential defamation and harassment bill for hundreds of thousands of pounds after being found guilty last week at Liverpool crown court of six counts of sending grossly offensive social media messages with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
The trial in a civil case brought by Eni Aluko against Barton has been scheduled for the high court in May. The former England forward is alleging she was defamed in two social media posts made by the former Manchester City and England midfield player and that dozens of other posts by Barton amounted to harassment.
After a preliminary hearing at the high court, Justice Lavender ruled in April that two messages posted by Barton about Aluko on X in January 2024 were defamatory, in one case because of its innuendo meaning. The most contentious elements of Barton’s posts were his claims that Aluko played the “victim card” and “race card”.
Barton was found guilty last week in relation to posts directed at Aluko, her fellow football broadcaster Lucy Ward and the broadcaster Jeremy Vine. He denied harassment and seeking to cause distress or anxiety.
Barton lost a defamation case last year brought by Vine, which has cost the former footballer more than £500,000, according to Vine. Although Barton was cleared last week of a further six counts of sending offensive messages, he may seek to settle with Aluko rather than risk another large payout determined in court.
Aluko’s harassment claim relates to messages sent by Barton when he waged a lengthy online campaign against female commentators and pundits last year.
Aluko declined to comment when contacted. In a statement released after last week’s verdict she said Barton’s messages had caused her distress and damaged her media career. “Social media is a cesspit where too many people feel they can say things to others they wouldn’t dream of saying in real life under the guise of freedom of speech,” she said. “This is a reminder that actions online do not come without consequences.
“The messages directed at me, Lucy Ward and Jeremy Vine by Joey Barton were deeply distressing and had a real damaging impact on my life and career. I am glad that justice has been served.”
Barton is due to be sentenced on 8 December, with his bail conditions prohibiting him from mentioning the three victims before then. His legal representatives declined to comment.
