August 20, 2008 12:22

'Wiltshire Police hate having Pete Doherty there'

Moonfest organiser claims police told him they despise the Babyshambles man

Photo Gallery: Pete Doherty

Following the news that Wiltshire Police banned Pete Doherty and Babyshambles from playing at the now cancelled Moonfest festival it has been claimed that the police have said they "hate" having Doherty in their constituency.

Wiltshire Police presented a case to North Wiltshire Magistrate's claiming that the band "incited violence", prompting the court to order Moonfest organiser John Green to cancel their appearance. Moonfest was then cancelled completely.

Since the cancellation Green has claimed that police officers told him that they "hate" having Doherty living in Wiltshire.

"They [the police] told me privately they hate the fact he lives in Wiltshire and they don't want him on their patch," Green told the Guardian.

Babyshambles band members, their management and fans have hit out at the police and court's decision, with drummer Adam Ficek telling NME.COM that the decision was "almost comical". He said his band would try to organise an alternative gig.

A spokesman for Babyshambles told NME.COM that the police had not contacted any representative for Babyshambles during their investigation. He claimed that the police had vastly overreacted, and queried their analysis.

The police report claimed that the band created a "whirlpool" effect in their audiences by slowing down then speeding up the pace of their songs, "inciting violence".

The spokesperson said this was "simply not true", and questioned the validity of the investigation.

"A phone call to myself, the tour manager or the production manager (all happy to consult) would have added to the 'analysis' and perhaps served well into giving a broader based picture of the facts as a whole," they explained.