Crime

ENI Aluko has won the first part of her libel case against Joey Barton after he accused her of playing the “race card”.Ex-Man City star Barton was taken to court by the pundit following a string of posts he made on X in January.Joey Barton has lost part of a libel case against Eni AlukoCredit: APEni claimed two of the posts were defamatoryCredit: AlamyShe claimed the two posts were defamatory – including one where he targeted her family and background.Barton, 42, branded her a “race card player” and accused her of playing the “victim card”, adding: “Cry me a f***ing river”.He also claimed “everyone is laughing at you” and said she knew “next to nothing about men’s football”.Eni has now won part of her case at the High Court after a judge found Barton made defamatory remarks.Read more newsMr Justice Lavender had been asked to consider the “natural and ordinary meaning” of the posts.Eni, 38, welcomed the ruling, saying: “The posts were an unwarranted attack on my personal and professional identity, my integrity and my family life – in particular my late father.”Barton could still appeal the decision and defend his statements if the case proceeds to trial.His lawyer William McCormick KC previously described the claims as “strained, forced and unreasonable”.Most read in FootballIn a separate case, Barton has denied sharing “malicious” posts about Jeremy Vine, Eni and her colleague Lucy Ward.The former footballer allegedly compared the pundits to Fred and Rose West and branded Radio 2 presenter Vine a “bike nonce”.He is due to stand trial later this year at Liverpool Crown Court charged with 12 offences.Barton started his football career with Manchester City in 2002 after going through their youth system and went on to make 150 appearances for the club.He then moved to Newcastle United in a £5.8million transfer in July 2007 before leaving for Queens Park Rangers in August 2011.The midfielder was then put on loan to French side Marseille during the 2012-13 season before making his way to Burnley for one season – helping promote them to the Premier League.Barton made one appearance for England in 2007 – despite criticising some of his fellow players.The footballer later attempted a management career with stints at Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.Eni bought the case against BartonCredit: PAHe denied the posts were inflammatoryCredit: Getty More

DANI ALVES has been cleared of rape following a successful appeal. The former Barcelona star was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in December 2022.Dani Alves has won his appeal to have his rape conviction overturnedCredit: APHe was ordered to pay £130,000 to the victim and stay away from her for nine-and-a-half-years.Alves, who has been on bail since March last year, appealed the decision as he claimed the sex was consensual.The Catalan High Court of Justice have overturned his conviction over “inaccuracies and inconsistencies” that were found.A court statement read: “The Appeals Section of the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia has unanimously upheld the appeal of footballer Dani Alves, who was sentenced by Section 21 of the Provincial Court of Barcelona to 4 years and 6 months in prison for a crime of sexual assault on a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub on December 31, 2022.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”The full bench of the Appeals Section, composed of judges María Angels Vivas, Roser Bach, Maria Jesus Manzano, and judge Manuel Álvarez, does not share the conviction expressed by the Barcelona Court and points out that its exposition contains ‘a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions regarding the facts, the legal assessment, and its consequences.“The court thus dismisses the appeals of the prosecution – which requested the partial annulment of the sentence and, alternatively, an increase in the penalty to nine years – and of the private prosecution – which sought to raise the penalty to 12 years – and acquits the defendant, nullifying the precautionary measures imposed.”The appeal judges ruled Dani Alves’ accuser was an “unreliable complainant” as shown by video evidence and the fact she denied a sexual act had taken place which had been corroborated “with very high probability” by DNA tests.They added: “It cannot be concluded that the standards required by the presumption of innocence have been met.Most read in Football“The trial court’s ruling uses the term credibility as a synonym for reliability in its analysis, and it is not.“Credibility corresponds to a subjective belief, which cannot be verified, associated with the person giving the statement.“Reliability, on the other hand, pertains to the statement itself.”Alves’ mum Lucia Alves, who attended his rape trial and caused controversy by naming and picturing her son’s female accuser in a social media post she later removed, reacted today on Instagram.She posted a photo of the footballer with her and her husband and wrote: “Thank you my God for everything.”There has not yet been any comment from Alves or his model wife Joana Sanz, who gave the Brazil international a second chance despite admitting she was seeking a divorce following his arrest.The couple were pictured hand-in-hand in April last year in the first snap of them together in public after Alves’ trial.They also took advantage of their day out in the sunshine to eat at an exclusive restaurant in Barcelona city centre and go shopping.In January Tenerife-born Joana posted a photo taken in their car of them interlocking hands next to a bouquet of flowers.READ MORE SUN STORIESAlves was sacked by Mexican side UNAM Pumas following his arrest in Barcelona at the start of last year when he flew back to Spain to attend his mum-in-law’s funeral.He was held for more than 14 months on remand in prison and released with bail conditions which included an international travel ban and the obligation to sign on at court every Friday. More