LEIGH Centurions rugby league player Sam Barlow has admitted a charge of common assault in relation to an incident involving a drug tester at his Halifax home last year.

The 28-year-old forward had been due to stand trial at Bradford Crown Court on Monday on charges of perverting the course of justice and falsely imprisoning Mark Dean from the UK Anti-Doping agency.

But after further pre-trial discussions his guilty plea to the common assault charge was accepted by the prosecution.

The allegations related to an incident at Barlow's home in Garside Drive, Illingworth, in July, but Judge Jonathan Rose said he will not now face a trial on those matters.

Barlow's barrister Guy Gomez QC stated that it was the 'principal plank' of his client's mitigation that the player's conduct that night was 'in no way designed to avoid the test'.

Mr Gomez said Barlow would accept, in the most general terms, that his behaviour must have been intimidating to Mr Dean given that the UK Anti-Doping man is 5ft 9ins tall and the defendant is a big, powerful man who became extremely frustrated.

Mr Gomez said his client's behaviour did not amount to any physical touching of Mr Dean.

Judge Rose heard that Barlow was due to appear at a drug panel hearing on June 6 with a judgement likely to be given 14 days later.

The judge told Barlow that he had pleaded guilty to a serious matter which could carry a maximum prison sentence of six months.

But Judge Rose said he was adjourning sentencing because he wanted to know the outcome of next month's drug panel hearing and that he also needed a report from the probation service which would give more information about suitable disposals for the case.

It is expected that Barlow's sentence hearing will take place between June 27 and July 29.