Jail for Venezuelan baseball star

Mr Urbina was with the Philadelphia Phillies when he was arrested

The former major league baseball pitcher, Venezuelan Ugueth Urbina, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for attempted murder in Venezuela.

Venezuela's attorney general's office said he was found guilty of being part of a group which attacked five workers at Urbina's ranch near Caracas.

Prosecutors said the group attacked the workers with machetes and tried to set them on fire in October 2005.

Urbina helped the Florida Marlins win the 2003 World Series.

As well as attempted murder, he was found guilty of taking justice into his own hands and illegally depriving people of their liberty.

Urbina repeatedly denied involvement in the attack, saying he was asleep at the time.

His lawyer, Jose Luis Tamayo, said Urbina surprised the workers while they were using his pool without permission, but said he later went to bed.

The pitcher's mother was kidnapped in September 2004, and rescued five months later in southern Venezuela.