Former England footballer Kerry Dixon jailed for assault

Former Chelsea and England centre forward Kerry Dixon has been jailed for nine months at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of assaulting a man in a pub.

Jailing the 53-year-old, judge Barbara Mensah said the attack was "shocking and sickening to watch".

She added that the assault was "disproportionate, unnecessary and completely over the top".

The incident happened on 15 May last year, when Dixon was caught on CCTV punching father-of-two Ben Scoble, 38, off his bar stool and beating him as he lay on the floor.

The footage was so shocking it drew "a gasp" from jurors when they saw it for the first time last week.

Dixon, who earned eight caps for England and scored 147 goals for Chelsea, had pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He alleged he had acted in self defence, however, Dixon, from Dunstable, was convicted by a jury after a five-day hearing with the judge describing the attack as "completely unprovoked".