Ex-Libertine misses another gig, but this time it's a court hearing
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Pete Doherty, the drug-addicted former front man of the Libertines rock band, failed to appear in court yesterday to answer allegations of possessing a flick knife.
Pete Doherty, the drug-addicted former front man of the Libertines rock band, failed to appear in court yesterday to answer allegations of possessing a flick knife.
The musician, who has admitted a dependency on heroin and crack cocaine, was said by his legal representative to be too unwell to attend the hearing at Bow Road magistrates' court in east London.
Mr Doherty, of Stepney, had been due to appear before magistrates so they could determine whether the case should be referred to a Crown Court. But Frank Brazell, for Mr Doherty, told the court that his client, who is charged with possession of a concealed weapon, was unable to attend the hearing due to poor health.
"He is not well, I have spoken to a friend of his who tells me that he is unwell," he said. "He hasn't yet seen a doctor but will do so and we will provide a medical certificate. He is feverish and too ill to come to court."
Mr Doherty was told by other members of the Libertines to leave the band while he tackled his addiction problems.
Andrew Aveling, a friend of Mr Doherty, said after yesterday's hearing: "Pete has some sort of gastric flu thing which has been getting worse. He hoped it would be just a 24-hour thing but when he woke up he was too ill to come to court. He had been all right last week and played a couple of gigs but was in the studio yesterday and had to end the session early because he was beginning to feel ill. He said he couldn't sleep and felt worse this morning, but had been 100 per cent determined to come to court for his appearance this morning."
Magistrates agreed to extend Mr Doherty's bail and ordered him to appear at the same court on 17 August.
After drawing criticism for failing to turn up for sold-out concerts in London on consecutive nights at the start of last week, Doherty had launched himself into a UK solo tour with a renewed vigour. After performances in Bristol and Shrewsbury, he returned to London on Friday to play a well-received hour-long set at the Barfly in Camden in recompense for a no-show at the same venue on the previous Monday night.
Doherty was interviewed by The Independent in Bristol last Thursday when, despite having a rasping cough, he claimed to be in good shape. "The fact that I'm obviously well enough to be playing, in fine fettle and fine singing voice, yet I am not playing with the Libertines, is a sore point," he complained.
The singer-songwriter has unsuccessfully attempted to beat his addiction problems by attending the Priory clinic in London and then a rehabilitation centre run by monks in Thamkrabok, Thailand.
As Doherty has struggled to hold his life together, the Libertines have been performing at the Fuji rock festival in Japan and are on the verge of releasing their second album, The Libertines. The album, produced by Mick Jones, the guitarist with The Clash, includes many of Mr Doherty's co-compositions.