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Jeremy Vine has been given an apology in court on behalf of Joey Barton after their High Court libel battle was settled.
Vine had sued Barton for libel and harassment over nine online posts, including where he called the BBC Radio 2 presenter a ‘big bike nonce’ and a ‘pedo defender’ on X.
The pair settled the claim after two apologies were posted by Barton on the same social media platform and a total of £110,000 damages were paid to Vine.
At the High Court in London on Friday, Gervase de Wilde, representing Vine, who was present in court, said Barton now recognises that he made a ‘very serious’ and ‘untrue’ allegation.
Mr de Wilde continued: ‘He has made clear that he does not in fact believe that the claimant has a sexual interest in children, and wishes to set the record straight’.
Enfys Jenkins, for Barton, said: ‘The defendant accepts everything said on the claimant’s behalf. The defendant wishes to apologise for the distress his publications caused.’
Jeremy Vine, pictured outside the High Court in London today, has received an apology on behalf of Joey Barton
Vine had sued Barton, pictured here in August, after the former footballer called him a ‘pedo defender’ during a row on social media
Lawyers for Vine said a social media post by Barton this morning, which included a video of the broadcaster in a pair of high heels accompanied by emojis ‘negates’ his apology
However, in court Barton was also accused of ‘undermining the settlement process’ Vine by making another social media post.
The post in question, which was published by Barton this morning, included a video showing Vine walking around in a pair of high-heeled shoes.
It was accompanied by a caption containing a string of emojis including a bike and a rainbow and five shrugs, as well as the words: ‘Perfectly normal. Nothing to see here.’
Mr de Wilde said the post ‘negates the vindication of a statement’ being read in open court.
The former footballer was previously forced to share an online apology to Vine, in which he admitted responsibility for what he described as ‘defamation and harassment’.
Vine had vowed that two apologies put on social media by Barton earlier this year would not be the final outcome in their libel case.
In June he claimed that the former footballer had rejected an initial proposal to pay the five figure sum and issue an apology.
On top of this Barton then proceed to write more defamatory tweets to his followers about Vine, including releasing his home address, meaning that he will likely have to pay more in damages and that further steps – including apologies in court – are due to be taken.
Vine wrote: ‘The news of Joey Barton’s apology and commitment to pay damages and costs is not the final outcome of this case.
‘After five defamatory tweets, my lawyer offered Barton a chance to settle: pay £75k, plus my costs, and make an apology.
‘He ignored that offer and posted more disgusting tweets about me, even publishing my home address to his followers.’
He continued: ‘When I then took my case to the High Court, a judge ruled that ten of the tweets I complained of were defamatory.
‘Having lost, Barton has returned to the offer we made after tweet 5. There has therefore been a parallel action on tweets 6-10 and Barton will pay further damages for these.
‘A number of other steps – including statements made in Court by way of apology – are still to be taken, and Barton has agreed to pay my legal costs of all of the claims.’
Jeremy Vine had said that Joey Barton agreeing to pay him £75,000 in damages would not be the final outcome in their libel case
Barton, 42, had already apologised for his comments on social media, releasing a post on X in June this year
High Court judge Mrs Justice Steyn ruled on May 24 that a social media post by Barton calling the broadcaster a ‘bike nonce’ was defamatory.
Barton had labelled Vine a ‘big bike nonce’ and a ‘pedo defender’.
The tirade of abuse came after Mr Vine questioned whether Mr Barton had a brain injury in response to a post where the footballer compared female football pundits Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward to serial killers Fred and Rose West.
This led to Mr Barton launching a ‘calculated and sustained attack on Mr Vine’ in early January this year, the court heard.
Mr Barton published several posts over the following days and began using ‘#bikenonce’ on X, which led to it trending on the platform, the court was told.
Judge Steyn said in response: ‘The strong impression gained by the assertion the claimant is known as “aka bike nonce”, followed immediately by the further assertion that he is known as, again, “aka pedo defender”, is that the term “nonce” was being used in its primary meaning to allege the claimant has a sexual interest in children.
‘While I do not consider that the hypothetical reader, who would read the post quickly and move on, would infer a causative link, ie. that the claimant defends paedophiles because he shares the same propensity, the juxtaposition of the words “nonce” and “pedo” is striking and would reinforce the impression that the former was used in the sense of “paedophile”.
Barton (right) won his one England cap against Spain in February 2007, coming on as a substitute for Frank Lampard (left) at Manchester United’s Old Trafford
Barton began his playing career at Manchester City, who he represented from 2002 to 2007
He later managed Fleetwood Town and then Bristol Rovers, who fired him last October – he is pictured here at Rovers’ League One match away to Lincoln City in February last year
‘The reader would have understood that the word “bike” was a meaningless aspect of the accusation, serving only as an indication that this was a label attached to the claimant, who was known as a cyclist, without detracting from the operative word “nonce”.’
William McCormick, for Barton, had said the posts contained ‘vulgar abuse’ but did not libel Mr Vine and represented ‘someone who is posting in the heat of the moment’.
Barton’s career saw him play for teams including not only Manchester City but also Newcastle United and French side Marseille.
He would later go into management with Fleetwood Town, but has been without a club since being sacked as Bristol Rovers manager in October last year.
