Doherty must pay for smashed camera

24 July 2008 03:16pm

Pete Doherty smashed a photographer's camera on a day out with family before he had to return to rehab, a court heard.

The Babyshambles frontman lost his temper with South West News Service photographer Catherine Mead when she followed him around Crewkerne, Somerset, last August.

The 29-year-old grabbed the camera and broke the lens after inviting Mead and a colleague to introduce themselves. Doherty pleaded guilty at Yeovil Magistrates Court today (Thursday) to causing criminal damage to the camera. Magistrates ordered him to pay £918.27 in compensation to Mead and £100 in costs.

Prosecutor Sarah Rhodes told magistrates Doherty was staying with relatives in Tintinhull, Somerset. She said photographers, including Mead, congregated outside on August 22, when he came outside to pose for shots.

Later, Mead visited Crewkerne after receiving a tip-off that Doherty was there. She found him outside a pub. Rhodes said: "She (Mead) didn't have the photo she wanted so she continued to follow the defendant.

"He said to her - in a calm manner - 'why have you been following me around all day, why don't you come and introduce yourselves?'.

Mead continued to take photographs and Doherty, standing less than two feet away, started to "become aggressive". Rhodes said he grabbed the camera and damaged the lens.

Doherty was arrested on December 3 and fully admitted damaging the camera, Rhodes said.

Doherty's counsel Sean Curran said the musician was on day-release from rehab that day. He said he has "quite a good rapport with photographers" and that the incident was a "one-off".

Chairman of the magistrates bench Ms Byham accepted there was a "degree of provocation".

© The Press Association