David Vance SubstackRead More
I remember being interviewed by Joey Barton back in 2023 and I found him an interesting and amusing personality. An intelligent man, he had built up a large social media following and he seemed pretty fearless in his political views. Joey regularly challenged the system and that was always going make him stand out in a sea of mediocrity. As a target.
Which leads us to this;
Former footballer Joey Barton has been handed a suspended prison sentence for social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.
Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety.
The trial heard he had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with six posts on X including comparing Aluko and Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West, and calling Vine a “bike nonce” between January and March 2024.
Barton was given six months in custody, suspended for 18 months He was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay more than £20,000 in costs.
I think this is utterly scandalous and another example of how Free Speech is being punished by prison sentences in the UK.
So, what caused all this?
Well, following a televised FA Cup tie in January 2024 between Crystal Palace and Everton, Barton likened Ward and Aluko to the “Fred and Rose West of football commentary” and went on to superimpose their faces on to a photograph of the serial murderers.
This is called DARK HUMOUR but now that can be crime.
He wasn’t saying they *were* mass killers! He was saying they were murdering football commentary. But that is now forbidden in the UK. Too dangerous to joke.
The comments that he made about Jeremy Vine were injudicious, and I told him so at the time. They left him wide open to successful prosecution and Jeremy Vine has a reputation for being incredibly litigious.
After leaving the court, Barton said:
“If I could turn back the clock I would. I never meant to hurt anyone. It was a joke that got out of hand. Nobody wants to go to jail.”
He’s right, nobody WANTS to, but in the UK many people are finding themselves behind bars nonetheless for publishing hurty words on social media.
