Joey Barton officially sentenced over offensive online posts

Danny Jones Danny Jones Joey Barton suspended prison sentence for online abuse social media posts

Retired footballer Joey Barton has officially been sentenced following a series of offensive posts on social media over the past year or so.

Six counts pertaining to three individuals, in particular, were highlighted when he appeared for his final hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, 8 December: online abuse directed at fellow ex-pros Eni Aluko, Lucy Ward and broadcaster Jeremy Vine.

Charged and now finally found guilty of ‘grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety’, Joey Barton has been given a six-month prison sentence – suspended for 18 months, however, meaning he won’t serve jail time unless he reoffends during this period.

Here he is queuing up outside the Crown Court earlier today:

For context, the social media posts in question refer to the ones made on X (previously known as Twitter) and directed at the aforementioned public figures.

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The former Manchester City player and Liverpool youth product, who is originally from Merseyside but is now based around Widnes in Cheshire, was found guilty on Friday despite insisting his innocence throughout.

Barton – now 43 and having become a vocal far-right commentator – compared Aluko and Ward to two of the most infamous convicted serial killers in British history, writing that they were “the Fred and Rose West of football commentary” back in January 2024.

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He also labelled radio host and TV presenter, Vine, a “bike nonce” in a post that he later went on to dismiss as nothing more than “crude banter” and an attempt at “dark and stupid humour”, stating that he has no intention of actually suggesting he was a paedophile.

Elsewhere in the court appearance, Barton claimed that he is a victim of “political prosecution”; nevertheless, the judge found that the one-time England international (who also played for Newcastle, QPR, Burnley, Rangers and Marseille) “crossed the line between free speech and a crime.”

You can see the moment Judge Andrew Menary handed down the verdict, which will see him avoid time in custody once more, in full down below.

As per an official update via the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Senior Prosecutor Callum Bryce of CPS Mersey-Cheshire said: “Between early January and mid-March 2024, Barton subjected three public figures to offences of malicious communications.

“Barton said in his evidence before the court that in some of his messages he was trying to make a serious point in a provocative way and that in others he was simply joking.

“The finding of the jury confirmed that his conduct had gone beyond any joke and his messages were grossly offensive with the purpose of causing anxiety and distress to his victims.”

It’s also worth noting that he has been charged, found guilty and sentenced before already this year.

Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife
In this case, he was also given a suspended sentence spanning 12 weeks.

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Featured Images — James English (via YouTube)/Brian Minkoff-London Pixels (via WikiCommons)

Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month and there’s thousands of FREE tickets

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Thousands of free tickets are set to be released tomorrow as the National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals returns.

Now in its fifth year, and having gone on to become one of the world’s biggest annual theatrical events in the process, Big Night of Musicals will once again illuminate Manchester’s AO Arena this winter, hoping to deliver its most ambitious celebration of British theatre to date. 

Hosted by Manchester comedian and musical theatre star Jason Manford, the event will bring together lots of the UK’s biggest and most beloved musicals for one extraordinary night.  

Audiences can expect mesmerising performances from some of the biggest musicals across the UK, alongside performances from a range of incredible National Lottery-funded arts organisations, all under one roof.

This year’s brilliant lineup of West End and UK-touring shows include the spectacular new production of Miss Saigon, an exclusive performance from Jesus Christ Superstar with Sam Ryder, ahead of him making his West End debut in the role of Jesus, and the legendary musical comedy, Mel Brooks’ The Producers.

Also featuring is the extraordinary London production of Wicked ahead of its 20th anniversary in the West End later in 2026.

Many more productions are still to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting Big Night of Musicals by The National Lottery for the fifth-year running,” commented Jason Manford. “The 2026 lineup is phenomenal, some of the biggest shows in the world are coming together for one night only, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it.

Big Night of Musicals is back in Manchester next month / Credit: Supplied

“This event is also a huge thank you to National Lottery players whose support keeps theatre alive and accessible. Without their contributions, so many productions, training programmes and venue restorations simply wouldn’t be possible.”

As always, 12,000 free tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis as a special ‘thank you’ to National Lottery players.

Each player can reserve up to four tickets (a £2 booking fee applies per ticket) when they go on general release tomorrow afternoon (9 December) at 1pm, and proof of purchase of a National Lottery product is required to secure the tickets.

There’ll also be a ‘pre-sale’ from 9am to midday tomorrow too.

Read more:

Big Night of Musicals 2026 is coming to AO Arena on Monday 26 January 2026.

For more information and to register for free tickets, National Lottery players should visit bignightofmusicals.com

Featured Image – Supplied

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