Former footballer Joey Barton has been discovered responsible of six counts of sending “grossly offensive” social media posts aimed toward broadcaster Jeremy Vine and tv pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Barton, 43, in contrast Aluko and Ward to the serial killer couple Fred and Rose West, and referred to as Vine a “bike nonce” in posts despatched between January and March 2024.

Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court docket accepted the prosecution’s argument that Barton, from Huyton in Merseyside, had “crossed the road between free speech and a criminal offense”.

However they cleared the ex-Manchester Metropolis and Newcastle participant of six different counts of sending a grossly offensive digital communication with intent to trigger misery or anxiousness.

Decide Andrew Menary KC warned Barton about sporting a shawl printed with a British flag within the dock as a “stunt”, and advised the previous footballer’s authorized group he wouldn’t be permitted to put on it when he’s sentenced on 8 December.

Barton was reminded his bail circumstances prohibit him from mentioning his three victims in any means earlier than that listening to.

Throughout his trial Barton argued he was the sufferer of a “political prosecution” and that his feedback aimed toward soccer pundits Aluko and Ward had been merely “darkish and silly humour”.

He mentioned he had been “making an attempt to make a severe level in a provocative means”.

Barton, who has 2.7 million followers on X, additionally claimed his posts about Vine had been merely “crude banter” and that in utilizing the phrase “bike nonce” he had by no means meant to suggest the radio presenter was a paedophile.

Jurors cleared Barton on a cost regarding a put up containing a mock apology to Aluko for evaluating her to Rose West.

That put up went on to say: “She’s clearly within the Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot class.

“She’s murdered lots of of 1000’s if not hundreds of thousands of soccer fan’s [sic] ears, in the previous couple of years.”

Nonetheless, the jury did convict Barton over a put up by which he mentioned ITV pundit Aluko was “solely there to tick bins”.

“All off the again of the [Black Lives Matter]/George Floyd nonsense,” he added.

Barton was cleared of writing that Ward and Aluko had been the “Fred and Rose West of soccer commentary” after an FA Cup tie in January 2024 between Crystal Palace and Everton.

However the former Fleetwood and Bristol Rovers supervisor was convicted of a rely relating to a different put up by which he superimposed their faces onto {a photograph} of the serial killers.

He was additionally convicted over posts suggesting Vine had visited “Epstein island” – a reference to the paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein – and one saying: “Should you see this fella by a main faculty name 999.”

In his closing speech to the jury of seven males and 5 girls, prosecutor Peter Wright KC mentioned Barton had crossed the road “by some appreciable margin” past what’s tolerable in society.

He mentioned Barton was not “the sufferer right here” and referred to as the footballer: “Slightly bully who takes pleasure sitting there together with his telephone in his hand after which posting these slurs.”

Directing the jury, Decide Menary defined that the time period “grossly offensive” within the costs required a “excessive bar” for conviction.

“The prison legislation isn’t there to punish dangerous manners, sharp humour, or unpopular opinions,” he mentioned.

“The legislation solely intervenes when the content material is of such an excessive, degrading or dehumanising character that society as an entire would say ‘that goes too far, that crosses the road of what we will tolerate’.”

Barton was launched on bail and Decide Menary ordered a pre-sentence report be ready.

The choose additionally warned him it might be “very silly” to put up something on social media concerning the case earlier than then.