Joey Barton found guilty of sending offensive posts on social media

Former footballer guilty over posts directed at football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, and broadcaster Jeremy Vine

The former footballer Joey Barton has been found guilty of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

A jury at Liverpool crown court found that Barton, 43, of Widnes, Cheshire, had crossed the line between free speech and a crime" with a series of posts made to his more than 2 million followers on X between January and March 2024. He was cleared of a further six counts.