Former England and Manchester City star Joey Barton has been charged with alleged "malicious communications" towards pundit and former Nigerian-British footballer Eni Aluko.
In January, the former Premier League footballer compared Aluko and fellow pundit Lucy Ward to the serial killers Fred and Rose West. The following month, Aluko accused Barton of subjecting her to "one of the worst cases of social media abuse I've ever experienced" after a stream of vile messages.
After Aluko and Ward covered Crystal Palace's FA Cup draw with Everton in January, Barton wrote: "How is she even talking about men's football? She can't even kick a ball properly. Your coverage of the game EFC last night took it to a new low. Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, the Fred and Rose West of football commentary." Barton further escalated his criticism by comparing Aluko to Joseph Stalin, claiming she was "murdering hundreds of thousands of fans' ears."
Following an investigation by Cheshire Police, Barton will appear in court on July 30. A statement from Cheshire Police read: "A man from Widnes has been summoned to court to face charges of malicious communications. Following an investigation by Cheshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service has since authorised the charges for Joseph Barton. The 41-year-old will appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 30 July. The charges relate to reports of alleged malicious communications online, between Monday 1 January and Thursday 18 January."
Responding to the charges, Barton wrote on X: "I'm up next month for 'malicious communications' charge at Warrington Mag for Eni Aluko tweets. Crazy times we're living in. Haven't the Police got enough on their hands? British system is becoming a Banana Republic. Lawfare used against its own citizens for having a dissenting voice."
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