This past December, Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty, attended Gloucester Crown Court to face charges of careless driving, driving without any insurance or a license, a DUI charge, and two separate charges of possession of heroin.
Incredibly the kindly judge found him guilty on all of the charges but Pete was only fined $3,300, plus costs, andbanned from driving for a year and a half. Wow that’s throwing the book at a repeat drug offender. But as he left the court he was arrested again when a security guard saw $300 worth of heroin, fall out of his pocket, but released on bail to appear in court again on Jan. 27. Surely being so out of control that he was stupid enough to bring drugs to court even while being sentenced for a previous drug offense, had to force the judges hand this time?
Keep in mind Doherty, who once dated supermodel Kate Moss, has a history of drug and driving offenses and was recently jailed in 2008 for breaching the terms of his probation. But even though Doherty was late for today’s hearing, his judge found a great deal of compassion for him.
“Either this was sheer stupidity or a ploy to get more publicity,” Judge Joti Boparai said today, per Reuters, as Doherty was sentenced at Gloucester Magistrates’ Court.
Doherty was ordered to pay a fine nearing $1,200 U.S. plus another $137 or so in court costs. Boparai ruled that since Doherty is paying for private drug treatment already, it wouldn’t be worth using taxpayer dollars to put him on a rehabilitation order. Well how about jail time?
I really like Pete and wish he could stop the drugs before they kill him. But for gosh sake what does it take to get yourself thrown in jail in England because Pete seems to be trying real hard.
