Joey Barton spared jail over grossly offensive social media posts

Ex-footballer Joey Barton was convicted by a jury of sending six grossly offensive social media posts (Peter Byrne/PA)

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.