DISGRACED footballer Joey Barton was at the centre of a row after allegedly jumping a red light and committing a series of traffic offences.

Pictures in a national newspaper appear to show the former Manchester City player's Range Rover using bus lanes to pass vehicles in Newcastle city centre.

But Barton's agent, Willie McKay, has questioned the actions of the photographer who took the pictures and claimed his client is being hounded by the press.

He said: "Why are they following him? It is a disgrace. What would you do if people followed you in a car? He doesn't know who is in the car, does he?"

The claims come on the day Barton, 26, is to appear before an FA hearing after he assaulted former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo.

The Newcastle midfielder received a four-month suspended sentence for assaulting Dabo and also spent 74 days in jail after being sentenced to six months' imprisonment for affray and assaulting a teenager in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of December 27 last year.

Mr McKay confirmed Barton would face a personal hearing today but said he hoped his client would soon be able to put the incident behind him.

He said: "The government has set rules and regulations that you do your crime and do your time, after that they want you to be rehabilitated. I think if it was Joe Bloggs on the street, he would not even have got that and enough is enough."

"People follow him and hound him in his apartment block.

"Who do these people think they are to hound people for a story for a newspaper? It doesn't happen in America."

Northumbria Police said they were looking into the driving claims.

Last month, the M.E.N. revealed Barton is to be sued three and a half years after he stubbed out a cigar in another Manchester City team-mate's eye at a Christmas party.