FORMER Swindon Town FC striker Charlie Austin has been found guilty of assaulting a 20-year-old man in a nightclub.

Swindon Magistrates Court was told that the 23-year-old footballer punched Sam Webb, 20, in the face following an altercation at Bushwackers, in Fleet Square, on October 13.

Austin, who now plays for Burnley, and his girlfriend Bianca Parker, were in the town to visit her parents. The pair now live in Ramsbottom.

The couple were out in the town centre on the night of the incident and the court heard that Mr Webb had disturbed Austin in a toilet cubicle.

The victim said he saw the footballer 'hunched over' the toilet bowl and that he heard a sniffing sound. He told the court he suspected Austin was taking some kind of drug.

The STFC fan recognised Austin and asked him why he was taking drugs as a professional footballer.

Austin then swung at him in the toilet and missed, but later confronted him back in the club, walking up and punching him 'square in the face' in revenge according to Mr Webb.

The footballer, who had denied the charge of assault, refuted any allegations of drug-taking.

He claimed he was using a cubicle as the urinals were busy and said the door was opened by a group of men who were filming him on their phones because of who he was.

Austin told the court he had experience trouble in Swindon since his transfer to Burnely in January 2011 from fans who were annoyed by his departure from the club.

He said he left the toilet and Mr Webb and another man came towards him in "a threatening manner" and he punched him in self defence.

Magistrates decided that there had been no threatening behaviour from the witness, so the defendant had no grounds to claim self defence.

He was found guilty of common assault by beating, fined £1,800 and ordered to pay £1,320 in costs.