Footballer Joseph Barton was made the subject of an injunction, and a Statement in Open Court was read before Lavender J, at a hearing in Eni Aluko’s claim against Mr Barton for libel and harassment, taking place on 10 March 2026.
Ms Aluko had applied to the Court to enforce a settlement agreement reached by her solicitors with those acting for Mr Barton on 5 December 2025, after Mr Barton had failed to fulfil the terms of the agreement or take any other step consistent with continuing to defend the claim.
The Court was told at the hearing that Mr Barton, having conceded the application on 6 March 2026, had then communicated with Ms Aluko’s solicitors via a police station duty solicitor to explain that he was in custody and unable to participate further in the proceedings.
Lavender J granted an injunction subject to a Penal Notice against Mr Barton on the basis of his agreement to provide undertakings as part of the settlement agreement, and approved an order recording Mr Barton’s agreed liability to Ms Auko for £339,000 in damages and costs, plus interest.
Ms Aluko was also awarded her costs of the application, summarily assessed on the indemnity basis in the sum of £28,593.40.
A Statement in Open Court was also read as part of the agreed settlement. This recorded the details of Mr Barton’s social media campaign on X against Ms Aluko, in which two of the publications complained of had received more than 10 million views. In the course of the campaign Mr Barton had made false allegations about Ms Aluko’s father, and deliberately amplified and gave heightened prominence to others’ criticisms of Ms Aluko, thereby fuelling and seeking to engage his followers in a generalised trend of criticism, contempt and ridicule towards her online.
Following his conviction at Liverpool Crown Court on 7 November 2025 for sending grossly offensive communications to Ms Aluko, Mr Barton accepted that his campaign amounted to harassment and that he should not have made the publications.
Gervase de Wilde and Luke Browne of 5RB, instructed by Judith Thompson and Matthew Howe of Samuels Solicitors, acted for Ms Aluko. Greg Callus and Samuel Rowe of 5RB, instructed by James Roochove of Astraea Linskills Solicitors, acted for Mr Barton at an earlier stage of the proceedings.
