Lady Sovereign has been arrested and charged with assault following an incident at a gay nightclub in Australia.

The singer, real name Louise Amanda Harman, spat in a doorman's face at Beat, in Brisbane, after being ejected from the club.

She pleaded guilty to assault and drunk and disorderly charges during an appearance at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Saturday.

According to Billboard, Magistrate Brendan Butler told Harman spitting had "serious health implications" and fined the singer $400 Australian dollars. She was also ordered to pay $200 to the doorman.

In a message on Twitter, Harman, who had only been in Australia for seven hours prior to her arrest, criticised the police and suggested she had been provoked into spitting at the doorman.

She wrote: “Brisbane police need to go catch some REAL criminals.....what a waste.

“Spitting in someone's face is nasty, but how about a guy dressed up as a girl running at you in the toilets and punching you in the head?"

In capital letters, she added: “YES THATS WHAT HAPPENED PRIOR TO THE SPITTING... SO EVERYONE PLEASE STOP CALLING ME NASTY, IF YOU WAS THERE YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND.

“THE TRANSVESTITE MUST OF BEEN A REGULAR BECAUSE I DIDNT SEE NO ONE DRAGGING HIS ASS OUT OF THE CLUB THAT NIGHT.”

Lady Sovereign is touring in support of her most recent album, 'Jigsaw'.

(by Jason Gregory)