Joey Barton says Cheshire Police have visited him '4 times in 3 days' over tweet in 'North Korea' rant

Former footballer Joey Barton says Cheshire Police have knocked on his door 'four times in three days' over a tweet as he compared the UK to North Korea in an online rant. Barton, a former central midfielder with a single England cap, said the visits were either "a shambles or an attempt to intimidate me and my family".

In the tweets, Barton, manager of Bristol Rovers until last year, said: "I’ve been visited 4 times in 3 days by Cheshire Police. Asking for a Voluntary interview about something I’ve tweeted.

"Including a couple of women police officers knocking at 9.30pm last night when my kids were in bed. I’ve given them my solicitors information and number. He then called to arrange an interview. No answer, so he left a voice message for the Sergeant who’d visited on the 1st occasion.

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"The last two women didn’t know there had been 3 visits in 3 days, apparently! Either it’s a shambles or an attempt to intimidate me and my family." Barton added: "Welcome to North Korea."

On the two female officers who Barton says visited him last night, Barton wrote: "I was thinking, were [sic] are your children. Are you not mothers?"

Barton has raised £15,000 through a self-organised Gofundme after BBC Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine moved to sue Barton for calling Vine a 'bike nonce'. Barton later this morning shared a tweet by EDL founder Tommy Robinson in which Robinson calls police action against himself 'continued persecution'.

Barton went on, describing the police visits as "Definitely an attempt to shut me up," adding: "It’s sad that police have to waste time on nonsense. Not long till Thought Crimes are being policed."

Barton added: "I also asked the two ladies did it feel a little bit Soviet Union. They didn’t answer.

"I asked them, is this why they started policing. To chase down tweets. Such of waste of taxpayers money when there is rampant crime to be dealt with right in front of their noses [sic]".

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: "Following reports of offences under the Communications Act, we can confirm that we have made multiple attempts to arrange a voluntary interview with a 41-year-old man from Liverpool. To date, we have not had any response from his legal representatives and we await further contact."

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