Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty skirted a jail sentence on drug charges Monday when a judge ordered him to continue rehabilitation — while complimenting him on one of his songs.
The 27-year-old singer, nattily dressed in a black suit, white shirt and striped tie, appeared for sentencing on charges of possessing heroin, cocaine and cannabis.
Fans overflowed the public gallery at Thames Magistrates Court, and were reprimanded by the judge for being noisy.
Doherty pleaded guilty Aug. 18 to five charges stemming from arrests in April and August in which drugs were found in his vehicle and home and he was found with a crack pipe and a small amount of crack.
District Judge Jane McIvor on Monday deferred sentencing until Dec. 4, and told Doherty he would not go to jail if he adheres to his rehabilitation program, continues to be employed and commits no other offenses. She noted that he had recently passed drug tests for heroin and cocaine.
She also said Doherty’s song “The Blinding” is a “good tune.”
Before being whisked away by security, Doherty said he had “mixed feelings” about the judge’s decision because he “wants to be trusted” and the clinic where he has been in rehabilitation is too expensive.
The singer gained fame with his previous band, the Libertines, and as the on-off boyfriend of supermodel Kate Moss. His drug habit gained international attention after a British tabloid printed pictures of Moss apparently using cocaine at a music studio where Doherty and his band were recording. Moss was not charged.