Toulon’s Delon Armitage has seen his 12-week ban for verbally abusing Leicester supporters reduced to eight weeks by an independent appeals committee.

Armitage was found to have directed a foul-mouthed tirade at Tigers fans after Toulon’s 25-21 Champions Cup defeat at Welford Road on December 7th.

A three-man appeal panel that met in London on Thursday chose to delay its verdict overnight but confirmed today that it found the independent disciplinary committee members who imposed the original ban “made an error in how they determined the period of the appropriate sanction for the misconduct”.

A statement confirmed this afternoon: “The suspension will now run from December 17th, 2014, until February 8th, 2015, therefore Armitage will be free to play on February 9th, 2015.

Armitage made a number of comments within earshot of spectators — including children — using foul and abusive language. In a damning verdict released by the hearing that imposed the 12-week suspension, the former England international was found to be “an habitual offender” with “an appalling disciplinary record”.

Armitage was banned for eight weeks in 2011 after a misconduct complaint for using threatening and/or abusive language towards an anti-doping official was upheld and he has also been suspended on three separate occasions for incidents of foul play on the pitch.