Joey Barton guilty over 'grossly offensive' social media posts

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Former Premier League soccer player Joey Barton was convicted of sending grossly offensive social media posts about two female pundits and a broadcaster who works on British television.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found the 43-year-old Barton "crossed the line between free speech and a crime" in six posts he made on X about Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, who are both former players, and TV presenter Jeremy Vine.

Barton was cleared of six other counts that he sent a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety from January to March 2024.

Barton was a midfielder for Manchester City, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley. He retired in 2017 and has since had managerial spells with lower-league teams Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.

He is now a social commentator with 2.7 million followers on X.

Barton was bailed ahead of sentencing on Dec. 8.

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