Former Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been charged in connection with posting social media posts relating to BBC presenter Jeremy Vine and England footballer Lucy Ward.
The 41-year-old faces two charges of sending malicious communications between 3 January and 20 March this year.
Cheshire Police said that Mr Barton, of Widnes in Cheshire, will now appear at a magistrates’ court at a date still to be fixed.
During his career, Barton played for Manchester City and QPR, and went on to manage Bristol Rovers before being sacked in October 2023.
In a statement, Cheshire Police said: “A man from Widnes has been summoned to court to face charges of malicious communications.
“Following an investigation by Cheshire Police, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised for Joseph Barton to be charged with two counts of malicious communications.
“The charges relate to reports of alleged malicious communications online between Wednesday January 3 and Wednesday March 20, involving two victims.
“The 41-year-old will appear at magistrates court at a later date.”
