Joey Barton Dodges Jail for Abusing Jeremy Vine

Ex-footballer subjected broadcaster to 'profoundly traumatising' campaign

Jeremy Vine on his bike (left). Joey Barton (right). Picture: Anything Goes With James English

December 8, 2025

Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been given a suspended prison sentence following a high-profile dispute with Chiswick-based broadcaster Jeremy Vine and other, which escalated into a series of offensive posts on social media.

Barton, 43, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court of sending grossly offensive communications intended to cause distress or anxiety. The jury found that his repeated targeting of Mr Vine, alongside pundits Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, crossed the line from crude commentary into criminal harassment.

The case centred on Barton’s posts between January and March 2024, in which he repeatedly referred to Vine as a “bike nonce” and suggested the broadcaster posed a danger near schools. In one post, Barton told his 2.7 million followers: “If you see this fella by a primary school call 999.” Mr Vine later described the campaign as “profoundly traumatising,” saying his reputation had been sullied by the false implications and that Barton “feeds off the pain of others.”

Judge Andrew Menary KC said Barton’s conduct amounted to a “sustained campaign of online abuse” that deliberately humiliated and distressed its targets. While acknowledging that satire and robust debate fall within free speech, the judge ruled that Barton’s insinuations of paedophilia against Vine were beyond permissible limits. Barton was sentenced to six months in custody, suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, and told to pay more than £20,000 in costs.

Two-year restraining orders were imposed, preventing Barton from making any reference to Mr Vine or his other victims on social media or broadcast platforms.

Speaking outside court, Barton insisted he had not intended harm, describing the posts as “a joke that got out of hand.” He denied seeking publicity, claiming instead that he was the victim of a “political prosecution.”

Mr Vine’s victim impact statement underscored the personal toll of Barton’s campaign, which he said left him traumatised and fearful. Cheshire Police said they hoped the case would deter others from using social media to spread “abusive and hateful messages.”