Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton has been banned for 12 matches - six of which are suspended - and fined £25,000 after pleading guilty to a Football Association charge of violent conduct.

The four-man panel, which included former England manager Graham Taylor, took just under two hours to reach their verdict, which now sees Barton ruled out of action until October 25 at least.

A statement on the FA's website read: "Much has been written about Mr Barton over recent months. The Regulatory Commission had the benefit of taking all appropriate information into consideration. The Commission members considered principally the serious attack by Mr Barton that clearly cannot be accepted.

"The members also had to take into consideration the sanctions imposed by the courts and the pro-active support Mr Barton has received from Newcastle United FC and other professional bodies.

"The Commission members wanted to punish the offence appropriately but give Mr Barton an opportunity to ensure his professional conduct does not falter again and ensure he is fully aware of the consequences should he make another serious error of judgement."

The ban came amid claims from Barton's agent that the press had "hounded" his client after reports that he jumped a red light as he drove to meet his probation officer.

Pictures surfaced in a newspaper showing the midfielder's Range Rover Sport using bus lanes to pass vehicles on the inside lane in Newcastle city centre.

An outraged Willie McKay, Barton's representative, said: "Why are they following him? It is a disgrace. What would you do if people followed you in a car?

"What is the guy meant to do? He doesn't know who is in the car, does he?"

Barton, who has one England cap to his name, received a four-month suspended sentence for assaulting former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo and also spent 74 days in jail after being sentenced to six months' imprisonment for assault and affray for a separate incident.

He was jailed for assaulting Jordan Spencer, then aged 16, in the early hours of December 27 last year outside a Liverpool city centre McDonald's.

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