English soccer player admits assault

LONDON, June 30 (UPI) -- Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton admitted Monday to assaulting a former teammate in an English training ground dispute.

Barton, 25, was due to stand trial in Manchester over an alleged incident with former Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo on May 1 last year. Barton, who left Manchester last summer to got to Newcastle United, had denied inflicting actual bodily harm on the Frenchman.

He changed his plea shortly before the scheduled start of the trial and admitted one charge of assault.

Barton was jailed for six months in May 2007 after admitting charges of assault and affray following an incident the previous December in Liverpool.