Joey Barton warned he could face prison for 'harassing' Jeremy Vine after 'crossing the line' with latest social media post - as footballer apologises for calling broadcaster a 'bike nonce'

Joey Barton has been warned he could face prison if he keeps harassing Jeremy Vine after making another social media post about the broadcaster.

The former footballer was accused of crossing the line today by the BBC presenters lawyers after posting a video of him wearing high heels and a series of emojis including a bicycle and a rainbow.

The post was made this morning, hours before a High Court hearing in which Bartons lawyers apologised on his behalf for calling Vine a big bike nonce and a pedo defender on X.

The pair settled the claim after Barton posted two apologies on the same social media platform and paid a total of £110,000 damages to Vine, as well as his legal costs.

At the High Court on Friday, Gervase de Wilde, representing Vine, who was present in court, said in an agreed statement that Barton now recognises that he made a very serious and untrue allegation. 

Vine had sued Barton, pictured here in August, after the former footballer called him a pedo defender during a row on social media

Jeremy Vine, pictured outside the High Court in London today, has received an apology on behalf of Joey Barton

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

But Mr de Wilde later asked a High Court judge to warn Barton about the risk of contempt of court, which can be punished with up to two years in prison, after the latest post.

The post in question, which was published by Barton six hours before the hearing, 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.

However, in court Barton was also accused of undermining the settlement process Vine by making another social media post.

Mr de Wilde said the post negates the vindication of a statement being read in open court.

Speaking outside court, Vine said: Joey Barton has probably lost himself £450,00 with nine tweets so he needs to find himself a different hobby.  

Mr de Wilde told the hearing that the post negates the vindication of a statement being read, adding: He is undermining the settlement he has reached with Mr Vine and further infringing his rights.

The barrister said that Barton had made four undertakings, including not to harass Vine or encourage others to do so.

Mr de Wilde said: The conduct this morning has gone right up to the line and in Mr Vines view, it has gone across the line.

Mrs Justice Steyn said: It does seem to me in light of the letter from the claimants solicitors ... that it is sensible to give the warning that Mr Barton would have received if he had given the undertakings in court.

These are all serious commitments he has given to the court and any breach of them is potentially punishable as a contempt of court.

In the statement, Mr de Wilde said Vine was deeply alarmed, distressed and upset by the defendants conduct which included a persistent and highly damaging campaign of defamation, harassment and misuse of private information.

Enfys Jenkins, for Barton, said in the statement that the former football player accepts everything said on the claimants behalf.

She added: The defendant wishes to apologise for the distress his publications caused.

Ms Jenkins later said she had not spoken to her client about the recent video post.

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.

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

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 Bartons 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.

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.

Barton (right) won his one England cap against Spain in February 2007, coming on as a substitute for Frank Lampard (left) at Manchester Uniteds 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

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.

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.

Bartons 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.