Former footballer Joey Barton faces trial at Liverpool Crown Court on charges of sending grossly offensive electronic communications targeting broadcaster Jeremy Vine and female football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward. The prosecution opened its case Monday, accusing Barton of crossing the line from free speech to crime on 12 occasions between January and March last year.
Peter Wright KC told the jury that Barton engaged in a "deliberate course of conduct" against three public figures on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Wright said: "He subjected them through his posts to a slew of grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety [...]"
The prosecution detailed specific posts in which Barton allegedly called Vine "you big bike nonce" and compared the female pundits to serial killers Fred and Rose West. In other posts, Barton allegedly wrote about Elvis Presley: "Elvis was a Nonce As well. Priscilla was underage and Elvis has a history of that kind of thing." He also posted about Vine: "Might as well own up now because I'd phone the police if I saw you near a primary school on ya bike."
Free speech or crime?
Wright acknowledged that Barton's comments, made to his following of over two million on X, may cut, provoke and cause controversy. He told the jury: "They are even entitled in a democratic, free society to express views that are offensive, shocking or personally rude when considered against and applying the contemporary standards of an open, just, multi-racial; equal and diverse society."
But Wright argued there are limits. "What someone is not entitled to do is to post communications electronically that are -- applying those standards -- beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society", he said. The prosecution described Barton's behaviour as "defamatory, frankly puerile and infantile behaviour by a grown man" that crossed the line of what society tolerates and therefore the prosecution characterises it as criminal.
Barton, who denies all charges, had allegedly targeted the female pundits over what the prosecution said he publicly expressed: his disapproval of female commentators in men's football.
The case continues.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
