Who is Joey Barton and why is he is court?

Ms Ward told jurors the posts by Mr Barton "intimidated" her. She said: "Fred and Rose West tortured, sexually abused and killed children, so I couldn't really work out why I was being called that. At first it was very, very harsh but then obviously it continued. "It was getting to the stage now where I got a little scared, physically scared really." The football pundit said: "I felt vulnerable going to games." Ms Aluko said she was "astounded" by the posts as she had previously exchanged "friendly, supportive" private messages with Mr Barton. She told the court his posts about her left her "devastated", adding "for about a week I couldn't leave my house". Mr Vine told the trial that being called a "bike nonce" left him "completely devastated" and resulted in him having "sleepless nights" and feeling "scared and upset". He claimed Mr Barton posted his address online which made him feel "physically unsafe" and he took advice on his security. When Mr Barton took to the stand he told the court he accepted his posts had caused anxiety and distress to "the girls and Jeremy" but that had not been his intention. Asked what he intended to mean with his Fred and Rose West comparison, he said: "They were just murdering the broadcast in my opinion. "I was trying to make a serious point in a provocative way. It was dark and stupid but it was a joke." He said his "bike nonce" references to Mr Vine in various posts were in response to the presenter "trying to goad him" to go on his Channel 5 show to discuss his views about female football pundits. Mr Barton said: "I was trying to make a joke of it. I didn't intend to call him a paedophile. "My understanding of the word 'bike nonce' is it is someone who is massively into something."