Former Newcastle star Faustino Asprilla has been charged with possession of weapons and criminal damage and is under house arrest.

Asprilla is accused of spraying a privately run security checkpoint with a machine gun near his farm in southwestern Colombia on April 19. The post was hit by 29 bullets. No one was hurt.

The security guards claim that Asprilla reacted violently when they refused to allow the former Colombia international's friends to pass the checkpoint.

Asprilla denies the charges and his lawyers said he will appeal.

The Northern Echo quoted Asprilla as saying: "Seven people who were with me have not yet testified, and so I think it's a bit premature for me to be convicted.

"In fact, it reminds me of a movie that I once saw called Minority Report with Tom Cruise, in which people end up in jail even before you've committed the crime or even been tried."

The 38-year-old remains one of Colombia's most famous football players after appearing in two World Cups and enjoying a club career in England, Italy, Brazil and Argentina.

His career was dogged with controversy and his flamboyant lifestyle away from the pitch prompted heavy scrutiny and wide spread media coverage.

He almost landed in jail in 1995 for shooting an illegal firearm outside a discotheque on the outskirts of Cartagena.

Since retiring from football in 2004 following a short stint with Buenos Aries club Estudiantes de La Plata, Asprilla has appeared in various reality television shows and has posed naked for a magazine.