Doherty pleads guilty to seven drug charges, creates `total chaos' outside court

LONDON (AP) _ Moments after pleading guilty to seven drug charges Thursday, Pete Doherty lashed out at reporters covering his court appearance and kicked one in the arm. <br/><br/>Trudi Barber, a reporter

Thursday, March 23rd 2006, 10:59 am

By: News On 6

LONDON (AP) _ Moments after pleading guilty to seven drug charges Thursday, Pete Doherty lashed out at reporters covering his court appearance and kicked one in the arm.

Trudi Barber, a reporter for the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Radio One station, was kicked amid scenes of what she described as ``total chaos.''

The 26-year-old Babyshambles singer was more than an hour late for his appearance at Thames Magistrates' Court in central London. He had to battle through a crush of reporters and photographers to get inside.

He then pleaded guilty to seven charges of possessing drugs including heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana, which police said they found when he was stopped once in December and once in January.

Doherty, the former boyfriend of supermodel Kate Moss, is already under court supervision for drug charges. In early February, a judge imposed a 12-month community service order and required Doherty to submit to regular drug tests.

His lawyer, Sean Curran, asked Judge Jane McIvor to put off the matter off for six months so they could see how Doherty progressed.

``I would not like the court to impose anything that would go against the grain,'' Curran said. ``He is a very talented man. Unfortunately, every move he makes has been in the spotlight.''

McIvor ordered Doherty to return to court April 20, ``which will mean we will know the results of his next review on April 12.'' She warned that all options remained open for sentencing.

It was when Doherty left the court _ wearing his trademark trilby hat and a gray suit _ that he allegedly kicked Barber in the elbow and knocked her microphone on the ground.

``It was total chaos here outside the court both when he arrived and when he left,'' Barber said on Radio One.

``Afterwards he leapt over the railings outside the court,'' she said. ``All of a sudden he lashed out, kicking me in the arm that was holding the microphone.''

Doherty then ran down the street pursued by nearly two dozen members of the media. He jumped over the trunk of a Jaguar sedan and into the driver's seat, nearly colliding with another car when he tried to pull out into the street.