Bloody hell, mates. This morning, I scribbled some nonsense on the keyboard about Pete Doherty and proceeded to set off merrily for an appointment. Upon my return, it seems the little bugger has finally landed himself back in prison.
A funny thing happens sometimes when one sticks up for an underdog — both of you generally end up going arse over elbow. Such is the realization for Judge Jane McIvor when someone else took over the particular docket containing the review of Doherty’s drug offenses. After hearing evidence of Doherty’s repeated violations of probation, Judge Davinder Lachar sent the errant musician off to prison, full stop. The main problem was not, of course, the fact that Doherty continues to take drugs and will never stop, but that the junkie has failed to make his scheduled court appointments and continue the illusion of a drug rehabilitation program.
A statement from the singer’s record company, Parlophone Records, said: “Today, Peter Doherty was sentenced to a total of 14 weeks in jail for being in breach of his probation order.
“Unfortunately Peter has had to postpone his show at the Royal Albert Hall on April 26. The show is due to be rescheduled and all tickets will be valid for the new date once it has been announced.
“Peter was very much looking forward to the show and would like to offer his sincerest apologies to all his fans and to all those concerned.”
This development, while unexpected, was as inevitable as a statement by Doherty’s lawyer that “he was looking into grounds for appeal.” Good luck with that.
This prison sentence also adds a wrinkle in Babyshambles’ scheduled gig at the Glastonbury festival, which means that Pete Doherty’s long-standing role as the unofficial mascot will be tossed into the mud, along with all of the other associated rubbish. Bless his little cotton socks.
