Joey Barton is jailed for 'cowardly attack'

Joey Barton was jailed today for six months for his part in a late-night attack on a teenager.

The Newcastle United midfielder admitted charges of assault and affray relating to the fight in Liverpool last December.

Judge Henry Globe QC, at Liverpool Crown Court, told him it was a "violent and cowardly act". Barton's brother, Andrew, also admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Barton, 25, is due to stand trial accused of assaulting former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo in a training ground incident in May last year.

The player's half brother, Michael, was jailed in 2005 for the racist axe murder of black teenager Anthony Walker.