Former football player Vinnie Jones was found not guilty of assaulting a man during a bar brawl in South Dakota on Friday.

The 44-year-old British actor had been accused of punching Juan Trevino-Barrera three times in the head in December 2008.

Football player-turned-actor Vinnie Jones was in court on Thursday to defend himself against the assault charges in connection to the December bar brawl in Sioux Falls.

According to eyewitnesses, the 44-year-old actor allegedly took offense when Juan Trevino Barrera, one of the men in the bar, identified him as Juggernaut from the 2006 mutant film "X-Men: The Last Stand," which he viewed as a slight against his more significant roles.

Vinnie Jones says the bar fight which left him needing 48 stitches on his face was entirely unprovoked. The "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" star - who was charged with simple assault for the incident in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last week - insists he was "stitched up" by Juan Barrera, who had previously claimed Vinnie turned on him after he called the actor "that guy from 'X-Men.'"

Vinnie, 43, told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "The fact is - someone tried to blind me. Would you not be p****d off if someone tried to blind you for life?"

Vinnie Jones could spend a year in jail after allegedly punching a man in the face during a bar fight. The "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" star - who took up acting after retiring from soccer - is said to have charged at a fellow drinker following a dispute after a game of pool at Wiley's Tavern, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last week.

"X-Men: The Last Stand" actor Jones is believed to have hit Juan Barrera in the face after he reportedly insulted his movie career by calling him "that guy from X-Men."

Noel Gallagher has taken up a new hobby - shooting.

The Oasis star was introduced to the country pursuit while in Los Angeles - where he is recording the band's new album with brother Liam - and has been stocking up an arsenal of various firearms to take back to the UK.