A FORMER Barnsley FC striker who was wrongly convicted of performing a sex act on himself in front of a teenage girl is now fighting to get his career back on track.

Shaun Tuton, 32, played for the Reds between 2016 and 2018 without scoring a goal.

The incident occurred as the victim waited for a taxi outside Sheffield city centre’s railway station in October 2021 when she was just 17 years old.

He was said to have been fondling himself under his joggers and groaning ‘sexually’ - and was eventually found guilty following a trial at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court.

He was give a 12-month community order and told to pay £250 in compensation.

Following his conviction, his contract with Whitby Town was terminated - however Tuton’s conviction was later overturned on appeal.

He told the BBC: “When they first started to arrest me they said it was an incident at a train station, but in my head I knew whatever situation it was it was impossible because I’d not been on a train in years.

“When they actually said what it was I was in disbelief.

“No-one wants to be put in that category.

““I was branded as this horrible human.

“I lost my club and I lost my income because of this.

“I told them I would be appealing - they could have waited.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service added: “After carefully reviewing all the evidence available at the time, we proceeded with the prosecution based on our view that there was sufficient evidence to put before the court, and we respect the decision of the court to overturn Shaun Tuton’s conviction on appeal.”