Joey Barton arrives for sentencing at Liverpool Crown Court after previously found guilty of sending offensive messages (Image: Andy Stenning)

Ex-footballer Joey Barton has been spared jail after sending grossly offensive social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and TV football pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko.

Last month a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Barton, 43, had “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” with six posts on X, formerly Twitter .

Following a televised FA Cup tie in January 2024 between Crystal Palace and Everton he 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.

In another post about Aluko, Barton said: “Only there to tick boxes.

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