Joey Barton tells court he is victim of ‘political prosecution’

Former footballer Joey Barton has told a jury he believes he is the victim of a “political prosecution” and denied he sent alleged grossly offensive social media posts to “get clicks and promote himself”.

Barton, 43, is said by the Crown to have “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with tweets about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and female TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Following a televised FA Cup tie in January 2024 between Crystal Palace and Everton he likened Ward and Aluko on a post on X, formerly Twitter, to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary”.

The ex-Manchester City, Newcastle United and Marseille player is then said to have called Vine a paedophile in numerous posts after the TV and radio presenter sent a message querying whether Barton had a “brain injury”.

Cross-examined by prosecutor Peter Wright KC, Barton told Liverpool Crown Court he agreed he could be “hot-headed” and his professional career had been “punctuated” with occasions when he received bans from the Football Association.

Mr Wright said: “You had a reputation for violence on the football pitch during your playing career.”

Barton, said: “Yes. I was aggressive on the pitch.”

Mr Wright said: “So on the football pitch you are someone who has been hot-headed and has not learnt their lesson, would that be fair?”

“Yes,” replied Barton.

Mr Wright said: “You are also somebody who was convicted of violent offences in your private life.”

“Yes,” said Barton.

Mr Wright said: “So again somebody who does not learn their lesson.”

Barton replied: “I would have to accept that, yes.”

The prosecutor said: “Someone who is unrepentant?”

Barton replied: “I would not say so.”

Mr Wright said: “I am going to suggest that is you to a tee, Mr Barton. Unrepentant.”

Barton said: “No, I disagree with you on that.”

Mr Wright said: “To the matters with which we are concerned with here, any criticism has been put at the door of others and not you. Would you agree with that?”

Barton said: “I would not agree with that. I criticise myself.”

Mr Wright said: “You know what the phrase narcissist means? A person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves.”

Barton replied: “I am a working-class kid from Huyton who played football. I don’t think I’m King Charles of England.”

Mr Wright said: “Do you think you are someone with a chip on their shoulder and all the world is against you, and you are the only one who is in the right?”

Barton said: “I don’t think I have that motto.”

The prosecutor said: “You have got these views on women and their role with men’s football, and they were strongly expressed by you.”

“Yes,” said Barton.

Mr Wright said: “And if someone challenges you on that you double down.”

Barton said: “No, I defend my position.”

Mr Wright said: “You say to the jury that your purpose here, first in respect of the female pundits or co-commentators, was what you were seeking to do was to provoke a debate about it.”

Barton, who also managed Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers, said: “That was my intention.”

Mr Wright said: “You were not just being deliberately provocative to generate interest in you and your posts. All of this is designed for you to get more clicks isn’t it?”

Barton replied: “Absolutely not.”

Mr Wright said: “It’s all designed for you to promote yourself, isn’t it?”

Barton said: “Absolutely not. I’m already in the public space. I have been famous since I was 19/20.”

Mr Wright said: “What has happened here is that at the expense of others you have sought to generate interest in you and your posts?”

Barton said: “I already had millions of followers across my social media platforms.”

Mr Wright said: “If your purpose was to create a debate on what you believed to be an important matter, why did you not ever say so in your tweets?”

Barton said: “I don’t think you set out your intentions in every tweet.”

Mr Wright said: “The reality is you targeted these women and you bullied them.”

Barton said: “If you are public facing you have to accept there is going to be criticism and feedback you don’t like.”

Mr Wright said: “Is the truth that under the guise of your right to freedom of expression you engage in personal slur and grossly offensive remarks to those who you feel are fair game?”

Barton said: “I sometimes use the wrong language. I was trying to make a serious point in a provocative way.”

The defendant told Mr Wright that he did not intend to call Vine a paedophile.

The prosecutor said: “Wasn’t it that your purpose and intent was utterly crystal clear, Mr Barton, and you simply don’t have the courage to admit it?”

Barton said: “No. I’m aware over the last couple of days of the anxiety and stress it has caused but that was not my intention.”

Mr Wright said: “Why are you asking him if he has been on ‘Epstein Island'”?

Barton replied: “As part of this crude banter.”

He has told the court that posts about Vine and Ward and Aluko were “dark humour”.

Mr Wright went on: “Why were you asking Mr Vine whether he had been on ‘Epstein Island’ in respect of a message to him saying ‘aka bikenonce’?”

Barton said: “It’s a wind-up. It was not meant to call him a paedophile. It was a bad, dark, juvenile joke.

“I have not at any point tried to cause distress or anxiety or risk his life or his daughters’ lives. I don’t want people to fear for their lives, I’m a dad.”

Mr Wright told Barton his various explanations were “nonsense”.

Barton replied: “Are you calling me a nonce?”

“No, nonsense” said Mr Wright slowly.

Barton went on to tell the jury: “He (Vine) is a strange cat in my opinion. He has jumped in here as a fly in the ointment to get views or clicks…crashing into it for his own attention-seeking purposes. The main character syndrome. Thinks it’s a TV show.”

Barton told Mr Wright: “It is a game to you. This is my life.

“I cannot believe I’m on trial for this. Words on a social media site.”

He said he felt it was a “political prosecution” from the first knock on his door by police.

He added: “This was the state, in my opinion, trying to squeeze me into the ground.

“It’s a spat between celebrities online.

“I believe this is a highly politicised case.”

Mr Wright said: “You have sought to deflect, divert and avoid. That’s the position, isn’t it?”

The defendant said: “This is a state prosecution I believe for whatever their agendas are in pushing on people.”

Barton, of Widnes, Cheshire, denies 12 counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety between January and March last year.