Doherty handed suspended sentence
- 00:01:34
- ITN
Doherty handed suspended sentence
Singer Pete Doherty has been handed a suspended jail sentence for a string of drug and motoring offences.Doherty, 28, was given a four-month custodial sentence suspended for two years.He was also handed an 18-month supervision order and a 12-month drug rehabilitation order by district judge Davinder Lachhar at West London Magistrates' Court.She also ordered that he pay a £400 fine for an offence of driving with no insurance and a £75 fine for having no MOT certificate.The Babyshambles frontman left to a chorus of cheers from waiting fans, who had earlier packed into the public gallery of the court to hear their idol's fate.Asked if he was pleased at the result of the hearing, Doherty said: "Eh, you must be joking."The singer, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and a trademark trilby hat refused to comment further and covered his face as he jumped into a waiting car.The court heard on Friday that Doherty was arrested while driving a blue Jaguar in High Street, Kensington, west London at about 10pm on May 5.Officers found a number of substances both on his person and in the car.Doherty subsequently pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine, heroine, ketamine and cannabis and various driving offences.Handing down the sentence, Judge Lachhar said: "You have made strides and I hope you will continue in doing so. I would hate to see you going backwards."In mitigation Doherty's lawyers Sean Curran said: "If the position is the risk of incarceration is a motivating factor in his drug abstinence then both he and I would submit that we are fully supportive of that."At an earlier hearing the musician had been warned to kick his drug habit or face a prison term.Doherty was sentenced after the latest in a string of court appearances and warnings to kick his drug habit.He has appeared in court on a number of drug offences over the past year and was praised by an east London judge in April for "more than co-operating" in his struggle to beat his addiction.On Wednesday Doherty left court in triumph after a judge removed the remaining term of a drug treatment order.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | October 26, 2007
