"Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, told jurors Mr Barton "engaged in a quite deliberate course of conduct" and targeted the trio with a "slew of grossly offensive electronic communications". Mr Barton is accused of posting messages using slang to refer to Mr Vine as a paedophile. He is also accused of describing the former footballers Ms Ward and Ms Aluko as "the Fred and Rosemary West of football commentary" - a reference to the notorious serial killers."
"Some may even consider some of them humorous. "Everyone is entitled to express views that are all of those things. "They are even entitled in a democratic, free society to express views that are offensive, shocking or personally rude when considered against and applying the contemporary standards of an open, just, multi-racial, equal and diverse society. "What someone is not entitled to do is to post communications electronically that are - applying those standards - beyond the pale of what is tolerable in society.""
Joey Barton, 43, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of 12 counts of sending grossly offensive electronic communications with intent to cause distress or anxiety. The charges relate to social media posts on X in January and March that allegedly targeted broadcaster Jeremy Vine and pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward. Prosecutors say Barton posted messages using slang to refer to Vine as a paedophile and compared Aluko and Ward to notorious serial killers. The prosecution argued Barton "crossed the line between free speech and a crime" and highlighted his sizeable following on X.
Read at www.bbc.com
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