Joey Barton Forced to Make Big Payout to Jeremy Vine

Social media posts ruled to be defamatory in High Court

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

June 19, 2024

Former professional footballer Joey Barton has been ordered to pay Chiswick-based broadcaster Jeremy Vine over £100,000 at the conclusion of a libel case at the High Court.

Mrs Justice Steyn ruled last month that comments he had made on social media about Mr Vine were defamatory and this Tuesday (18 June) in addition to ordering the payment, Mr Barton is required to put a pinned tweet on his X account, which has 2.8 million followers, acknowledging that the claims he made were false and that he has apologised.

The dispute was over 11 posts in January of this year in which he accused 59-year-old Mr Vine of having a sexual interest in children. He created a hashtag to draw attention to the posts and they were viewed millions of times.

Mr Barton’s defence was that his posts were ‘vulgar abuse’ and an attempt at humour posted in ‘the heat of the moment’ and did not amount to defamation under common law.

His statement reads, “I recognise that this is a very serious allegation. It is untrue. I do not believe that Mr Vine has a sexual interest in children, and I wish to set the record straight.”

He also accepted that his claim that Mr Vine was advocating forced vaccinations during the pandemic was false.

Mr Barton, who was sacked as the manager of Bristol Rovers last October, had consistently courted controversy on social media most recently being a virulent critic of female football pundits.

Mr Vine's barrister, Gervase de Wilde, told the court that abuse began after Mr Vine responded to a post in which Mr Barton compared two female commentators on football to serial killers Fred and Rose West. Mr Vine suggested on social media that Mr Barton may be suffering from a brain injury at which point he responded with the defamatory posts.

Mr Vine’s legal team said that the pinned tweet that Mr Barton has been required to make is only the first step in the settlement of legal claims against him. He will also be required to participate in a Statement in Open Court, in which he will make a comprehensive formal apology to Mr Vine, and to give undertakings not to repeat his conduct.

As part of a separate settlement, Mr Barton is to be required to pay Mr Vine a further sum of £35,000 in damages, pay additional legal costs, publish a second Pinned Tweet for 14 days, join in another Statement in Open Court, and to give further undertakings to Mr Vine. The additional payment arises from Mr Barton’s conduct after Mr Vine initiated proceedings when he made further statements about Mr Vine including expressing a wish for Mr Vine to be run over while on his bike and disclosing Mr Vine’s home address to his followers.

Mr Barton’s attempt to argue that these claims were also resolved by the first settlement and the payment of £75,000 were subsequently rejected by the Court.

Mr Vine said that he pleased that his claims have been resolved and that he has been vindicated.