Doherty walks free after charges dropped

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Doherty walks free after charges dropped


Haroon Siddique and agencies
Tuesday August 21, 2007

Guardian Unlimited

Pete Doherty today walked free from court after charges of breaching his bail were dropped because of a technicality.

The 28-year-old Babyshambles singer was brought before west London magistrates court after being arrested for suspected drugs possession during the early hours of yesterday morning.


Doherty is due to appear in court on September 4 to be sentenced for other charges related to the possession of drugs.

The charges against him today were dropped because he was arrested at 2.35am yesterday but not brought before the court within 24 hours.

"Anyone arrested for a breach of bail must be brought before the court and dealt with in a 24-hour period," district judge Susan Williams said.A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesman said that in this case it was the responsibility of the police to ensure the defendant appeared within the specified time limit.


"A breach of bail is pursued by having a complaint from the police," he said. "It doesn't require CPS involvement although we would provide representation in court."


A spokeswoman for the police said they had "no response" at present.
Doherty was arrested when police stopped the car in which he was travelling in the Tower Hamlets area of east London. The arrest came a few hours after his band had performed a gig at the V music festival in Stafford.
The singer is due to be sentenced next month for driving illegally while in possession of crack cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis.


On August 7 a judge at the west London court told him he would be sent to jail if he did not make an effort to fight his drug addiction.


Doherty told the court he was trying to address his problem and had had an implant inserted in his stomach in an attempt to curb his addiction.


The judge, Davinder Lachlar, adjourned the sentencing until next month to "assess his motivation". "What I have in mind is a community order or prison," she said. "If he does not show his motivation, it's prison - as simple as that."

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Glad he got away with breaching bail, but really driving "due to be sentenced next month for driving illegally while in possession of crack cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis." What a cocktail-- and he was driving!

Doherty lacks common sense, but he should be being threatened with treatment not prison. Do we imprison alcoholics?