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Joey Barton Guilty of Sending Offensive Social Media Messages

11/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Joey Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court on six counts of sending grossly offensive messages on social media.
The messages targeted Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, both football commentators.
The jury found that Barton crossed the line between free speech and criminal behavior by posting images that superimposed Lucy Ward’s and Eni Aluko’s faces on serial killers and derided their qualifications.

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Story summary

Joey Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court on six counts of sending grossly offensive messages on social media.
The messages targeted Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, both football commentators.
The jury found that Barton crossed the line between free speech and criminal behavior by posting images that superimposed Lucy Ward’s and Eni Aluko’s faces on serial killers and derided their qualifications.