A Welsh international rugby star has been convicted of assaulting his glamour model ex-girlfriend at the home in Croydon she shares with pop star fiancé Dane Bowers.

Ian Gough, 37, attacked Sophia Cahill, the former Miss Wales, at the couple's house in Kingswood Way, South Croydon on January 5.

Croydon Magistrates Court heard Gough, who plays for Newport Gwent Dragons and has been capped 64 times for Wales, pushed Miss Cahill and "flung" her against his van after dropping off the couple's two-year-old son Gabriel.

She choked back tears in court as she recounted the assault, which followed a row about Gough returning the child home late.

Miss Cahill suffered no injuries in the attack but told magistrates this afternoon it had aggravated whiplash sustained in a recent car accident.

Giving evidence behind a curtain to avoid coming face-to-face with her ex-partner, the model said she had become concerned when Gough was more than an hour late returning Gabriel.

After he arrived, she went out to collect Gabriel from the Volkswagen van.

She told the court: "I opened the passenger door and Ian just stormed around the front of the van. I was a little bit taken aback. Pretty much as soon as I go to open the door he gets up and runs to the front of the van.

"As I'm leaning in to unbuckle Gabriel he grabs me by the right shoulder, chucks me back and pulls me round. He grabbed me by the shoulder and flung me back. He said 'get away'."

She again reached into get her son but was grabbed by the shoulder and pushed against the door, leaving her "shocked and upset".

Mr Bowers told the court he witnessed the assault from the couple's living room window. The court heard he later texted Gough: "Did you just lay your f****** hands on my fiancé?"

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Gough arrives at court with father Malcolm

Gough denied the assault and claimed Miss Cahill unleashed a foul-mouthed tirade after he arrived late due to poor weather. He told the court: "At absolutely no point did I make any physical contact with her.

"Sophie was shouting and swearing profusely at me and punching the wing mirror on the side of the van, which caved in. The last thing I could see as I was driving off was her holding the baby in her left arm with her finger stuck up at me."

But presiding magistrate Terry Carpenter described Miss Cahill and Mr Bowers "credible" witnesses and found Gough guilty. 

The rugby player will be sentenced on August 26, when he could also be handed a restraining order.

Speaking outside court, the rugby star's father Malcolm called the verdict "a travesty of justice".

He said: "We are strongly disappointed with what the magistrates have just come out with.

“We are strongly disappointed with what the magistrates have just come out with.

"We totally disagree with it and are taking it further, as far as we can go."