UK Police/Court go Insane while pursuing Doherty
'Singer Pete Doherty has been blocked from performing at a music festival amid fears his band would "gee up" the crowd into a dangerous frenzy.
The decision came after police asked an intelligence officer to research Doherty's band, Babyshambles, who were booked to headline Moonfest festival in Westbury, Wiltshire, next week. They concluded that the band's tendency to "speed up and then slow down the music" could create a "whirlpool effect" and spark disorder.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Wiltshire police convinced magistrates to provide a closure order for the festival on the night the band were scheduled to perform.
John Green, Moonfest's organiser, said he was "livid" at the decision and accused police of waging a vendetta against Doherty, who lives locally.
But Superintendent Paul Williams said the ban was designed to preserve public safety. "Experts are telling us that the profile of fans that follow Pete Doherty and Babyshambles is volatile and they can easily be whipped up into a frenzy, whereas the profile of someone that would follow around Cliff Richard or Bucks Fizz, for example, is completely different."
More at The Guardian
Mstation Music and Games News
for a scroll down page of all news go here.
Wed, 20 Aug 2008