Former footballer Joey Barton has been told he "crossed the free speech line" with his social media posts at Liverpool Crown Court today.
The 43-year-old stands accused of 12 counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with the intent to cause distress or anxiety.
Prosecutors allege the former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder deliberately targeted broadcaster Jeremy Vine and football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward through a calculated campaign of offensive messages.
Peter Wright KC, opening the prosecution case, told jurors that while controversial and forthright views were acceptable in a democratic society, Mr Barton had exceeded the boundaries of tolerable discourse.
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The prosecution detailed how Mr Barton compared female commentators Ms Aluko and Ms Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West following an FA Cup match between Crystal Palace and Everton.
He subsequently posted a manipulated image showing the pundits' faces superimposed onto the murderers' bodies, accompanied by text stating: "We've established they cannot take a joke and understand metaphors. So, I'll leave you with this.."
In another post, Mr Barton escalated his rhetoric by declaring Ms Aluko belonged "in the Joseph Stalin/Pol Pot category," claiming she had "murdered hundreds of thousands if not millions of football ears in the last few years".
Mr Wright told the court these attacks formed part of Barton's "publicly expressed disapproval of female commentators" in what he perceived as the male domain of men's football.
Joey Barton's social media posts were said to be 'beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society'
|PA
He argued that whilst a democratic society permits offensive, shocking or personally rude expressions, Mr Barton's posts went "beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society."
The prosecutor characterised the behaviour as "defamatory, frankly puerile and infantile behaviour by a grown man."
They maintain that the defendant, who has over two million followers on X, intended to cause distress or anxiety through his communications.
Other allegations concern posts about Jeremy Vine, whom Mr Barton repeatedly called "bike nonce" on the social media platform.
In one January post, the defendant shared an image of the broadcaster with text stating: "If you see this fella by a primary school call 999."
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Football pundit Eni Aluko is one of the individuals Mr Barton addressed in his posts
|PA
The court heard how Mr Barton questioned whether Mr Vine had visited "Epstein Island" and asked if he would appear on flight logs associated with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier posts included Mr Barton declaring he would "phone the police if I saw you near a primary school on ya bike," prosecutors told the jury.
The court heard how the former footballer’s attacks on Mr Vine began after the broadcaster suggested the footballer might be suffering from brain injury, causing disinhibition and anti-social behaviour.
Mr Wright explained that Barton interpreted this expression of concern as an insult, prompting his response calling Vine "you big bike nonce."
The prosecution emphasised that Mr Barton's substantial social media following exceeded two million users, arguing his deliberate course of conduct was designed to cause distress through these public communications.
Mr Barton chose to remain silent when questioned under caution at a police station regarding all matters concerning the three complainants, declining to answer any questions.
He arrived at court wearing a blue turtle-neck top and declared "not guilty" as each charge was read to him.
The prosecution suggested jurors should consider whether his posts represented "a cynical ploy designed to boost his following in certain quarters" or genuinely held beliefs.
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