Overview
- At Liverpool Crown Court, Joey Barton, 43, is charged with 12 counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
- Prosecutor Peter Wright KC said Barton crossed the line between free speech and crime in a deliberate course of conduct between early January and mid‑March 2024.
- The alleged posts targeted Jeremy Vine, Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, including calling Vine “a bike nonce” and using an image linking Aluko and Ward to Fred and Rose West.
- Jurors were told Barton's X account has more than two million followers and that posts included abusive themes and the hashtag “#downwithbikenonce.”
- Barton pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the week‑long trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday.