Eni Aluko makes astonishing accusation after Joey Barton found guilty of 'offensive' social media posts

The jury concluded that these posts crossed the legal threshold from lawful free expression into criminal communications.

Barton, 43, was acquitted on six other counts. The messages in the case involved references to Aluko, broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football pundit Lucy Ward.

The court heard that some of the material posted in January 2024 included the superimposition of Aluko and Ward’s faces onto an image of serial killers. The jury found that this specific post was grossly offensive.

Barton was also convicted in relation to another post concerning Aluko which referenced diversity and equal opportunities initiatives.

ITV, which has employed Aluko and Ward in football coverage, issued a statement at the time describing the comments as unacceptable.

In an interview with The i Paper, Aluko expressed appreciation for the support she did receive, but also stated that she felt there was a reduction in opportunities for her during the period in which Barton’s comments were circulating online.

She said she had hoped for more explicit backing from broadcasters during that time, describing the experience as isolating.

Aluko, 38, who has been a regular pundit for ITV and TNT Sports, said that while she continued to work, the volume of her televised appearances declined during what she described as a particularly difficult period.

She stated that she had not been given guidance on how to respond to, or cope with, the volume of online responses that followed the posts.

"I would have liked to have seen a lot more courage on the broadcasters' part to say 'this is not something we're going to accept'," Aluko said.

"And how that pans out in practice is, you continue to stand by that talent. You put them on screen, you communicate about how to deal with online trolls and people in the comments section – but it was just avoided.

"Nobody had ever had that conversation with me, and in the end it ended up being that I just wasn't on screen. And that's very, very disappointing.

"When you look at the 12-month period, or 18-month period during this litigation, I have done the least TV I've ever done."

Aluko also described feeling concerned about the potential real-world consequences of social media attention. She said that, in her view, online content can influence behaviour and that she worried some individuals might interpret online hostility as encouragement to act.

She referenced receiving threatening messages from members of the public during this time and said the experience made her worry about her personal safety.

The 38-year-old added: "That's one of the worst parts of it. When a big account with millions of followers like Joey Barton's does something so grossly offensive and aggressive, it emboldens others to do the same

"As much as people think it's just words online, it spills over into real world ideas and real world harm, and it only takes one of those millions of people to have a knife or to think that they're justified to attack you before we're talking about something really serious."

During the trial, Barton told the court that he believed he had been making a form of provocative joke and described his posts as attempts at dark humour.

He denied intending to cause distress and also denied meaning to imply serious allegations about the individuals involved. He said that his comments had been intended to make a point about football broadcasting and public debate.

Prosecutor Peter Wright KC told the jury that the case concerned the limits of acceptable online expression. He argued that the posts in question went beyond robust commentary and amounted to personal attacks.

The defence argued that Barton had been exercising free speech, but the jury concluded that in the posts for which he was convicted, the legal threshold of “grossly offensive” had been reached.

Judge Andrew Menary told jurors that the law does not prohibit strong or unpopular opinions. He said that criminal liability only applies where comments are so extreme or dehumanising that society cannot reasonably tolerate them. The judge also reminded jurors that the prosecution needed to prove that causing distress or anxiety was part of the purpose behind the posts, rather than an unintended outcome.

Barton has been released on bail. Sentencing is scheduled for December 8.