Joey Barton calling Jeremy Vine a ‘bike nonce’ was

High court rules abuse could defame broadcaster who sued ex-footballer after he also called him a ‘pedo defender’

The former footballer and manager Joey Barton calling the broadcaster Jeremy Vine a “bike nonce” on social media was defamatory, a high court judge has ruled.

The high court ruled on Friday that 11 social media posts could defame Vine, the radio and TV presenter who is suing Barton after he called him a “bike nonce” and a “pedo defender” on X, formerly known as Twitter, between January and March.