A court in the United Kingdom has awarded ex-England international Eni Aluko more than £300,000 in damages in her lawsuit against former footballer Joey Barton over social media posts.

The lawsuit stemmed from two posts published by Mr Barton on X in 2024, which Ms Aluko’s lawyer, Gervase de Wilde, argued falsely accused his client of “cynically seeking to exploit her status as an alleged victim of racism and bullying” and that she was a hypocrite.

During a hearing on Tuesday, Mr de Wilde told the court that Mr Barton published 48 posts about Ms Aluko on his X account between January and August 2024, calling the action a deliberate, targeted vilification campaign by the defendant against his client.

“The campaign amounted to an attack on multiple aspects of her life and personality,” Mr de Wilde said. “Mr Barton’s campaign caused Ms Aluko enormous distress. When she sought to defend herself against Mr Barton’s conduct and that of his followers, he criticised and attacked her for doing so.”

The High Court in London heard that the case had been stayed, meaning proceedings were halted, and Mr Barton was ordered to pay “substantial” damages and Ms Aluko’s legal costs.

Subsequently, Mr Barton, who could not attend the hearing due to his Sunday arrest over a golf course incident, must pay Ms £339,000, with the first £100,000 plus interest due by March 24.

Meanwhile, Justice Nicholas Lavender granted Mr Barton seven days to ask to change the order.