Community service for footballer

Quinn boasted to friends about what he had done

A Scottish Premier League footballer has been ordered to complete 150 hours of community service for attacking a man at a team-mate's birthday party.

Motherwell FC captain Paul Quinn, 22, was earlier convicted at Glasgow Sheriff Court of assaulting Andrew Smith at a nightclub in the city.

The court heard Quinn punched Mr Smith, 22, to the ground and knocked him unconscious in August 2007.

He is likely to be heavily fined by the club, the court heard.

Bobby McCormack, defending, said of the footballer: "He is embarrassed by the negative publicity this has brought to the club, himself and those close to him."

The court was told Quinn, of Wishaw, had been out celebrating Motherwell striker Ross McCormack's 21st birthday on 19 August.

Hearing difficulty

He punched Mr Smith after spotting him chatting to a girl in the VIP lounge of the Classic Grand nightclub, then followed him outside and knocked him unconscious with another punch.

Quinn, who became Motherwell skipper after the death of Phil O'Donnell in December, returned to the nightclub after the attack and boasted about what he had done to friends, the court heard.

Mr Smith, a trainee civil engineer, reported Quinn to police after recognising him on the Motherwell club website.

He was treated in hospital the following day for a swollen jaw and now suffers from hearing difficulty in his right ear as a result of the attack.

Sentencing Quinn, Sheriff Sean Murphy said his work with youngsters at the club meant fewer hours of community service had been imposed.