VIDEO PREMIER League star Joey Barton has escaped a jail sentence after he admitted attacking a former team mate in a training ground bust-up.

PREMIER League star Joey Barton has escaped a jail sentence after he admitted attacking a former team mate in a training ground bust-up.

The troubled midfielder, who plays for Newcastle United, yesterday admitted one charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Ousmane Dabo when they were playing colleagues at Manchester City, leaving Dabo unconscious and covered in blood.

This afternoon he was given a four month suspended sentence.

Newcastle United released a brief statement after the hearing.

It said: “Newcastle United notes the sentence passed to Joey Barton at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court today.

“The club now intends to hold discussions with Joey and his representatives at the earliest possible opportunity.

“Until such time that this meeting has taken place, there will be no further comment from the club.”

Today's hearing is the latest in a long line of brushes with the law for the 25-year-old, who was jailed for six months in May after admitting assault and affray in a Liverpool branch of McDonald's last year.

And police today released footage of that attack on December 27, which saw Barton, wearing a light blue shirt, punch one man up to 20 times before turning his attention to a teenage boy, leaving him with broken teeth.

Barton, 25, and his cousin, Nadine Wilson, 27, and brother Andrew Barton, 20, were involved in two violent incidents during the early hours.

Barton was arrested and jailed for six months on May 20 by Judge Henry Globe at Liverpool Crown Court.

He was also ordered to pay £2,500 compensation to Jordan Spencer, the teenager he attacked.

Wilson, of Childwall, Liverpool, was given a six-month sentence for ABH and two months for affray, suspended for two years.

She was also given a 12-month supervision order and instructed to carry out 12-months unpaid work.

Andrew Barton was given a four-month sentence for common assault, suspended for two years, and a 12-month supervision order.