Pete Doherty Breaks His Own Record for Poor Planning

There are a few reasons Pete Doherty is still in the headlines, and none of them have to do with drugs. He’s (very) attractive, used to shack up with the reigning queen of fashion and actually manages to have a terrific voice when he’s not, you know, shooting up. I withhold drugs from that list on account of the sheer frequency with which Doherty incurs legal problems related to them; it’s no longer news. His appearance in a British court yesterday, however, draws attention to an incident that transcends all semblance of wow-that-was-dumb drug related behavior.

While in court on December 21st to receive a sentence for careless driving, a small quantity of heroin fell from the singer’s pocket as he was being escorted by security guards off of the premises. Doherty was arrested instantly and charged with possession of the drug, prompting the Judge to declare, “Either this was sheer stupidity or a ploy to get more publicity.” It’s not when you’re bringing heroin into court with you that you’ve hit rock bottom; it’s when the Judge for your case begins making unsolicited statements regarding your intellect to the press that signals your end.

Doherty, whose lawyer claimed he felt “very stupid” for the “residual drugs which he had left in one coat pocket,” was fined $1200 yesterday for the slip and will be forced to pay for drug treatment privately (rather than out of the public purse). I miss Babyshambles, I really do, and I’m not going to pretend that I wouldn’t still sleep with Pete Doherty if ever presented with the opportunity, but he’s making it very difficult to uphold even the slightest shred of sympathy, respect, patience (insert any ‘I really want to like you but it hurts’ synonym here). Get it together, please.