Courtney Love

Courtney Love sentenced to 18 months of drug rehabilitation

By Chris T Nguyen in Los Angeles

28 July 2004

The rock musician Courtney Love was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in drug rehabilitation, closing one chapter in a troubled saga that began when she was accused of trying to break into her ex-boyfriend's home while high on cocaine.

Superior Court Judge Patricia M. Schnegg gave the musican until October 29 to enroll in a counseling program, which will require frequent drug testing. She will be permitted to travel, but barred from taking non-prescription drugs, drinking alcohol or being in places that serve alcohol.

"I have to stop drinking. That's funny," Ms Love said outside court, lighting a cigarette. "I think I can do it."

The 40-year-old widow of the Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain showed up to her sentencing 15 minutes late, dressed in a two-piece lavender suit and purple high heels. She sat down and immediately began reading the British music magazine NME.

She appeared demure during the hearing, despite a history of courtroom outbursts. Several times she put her hands over her face and shook her head.

The Assistant City Attorney, Jerry Baik, said the sentence was negotiated under a plea agreement with Ms Love's attorneys. She pleaded guilty on 25 May to a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance and agreed to enter the treatment program.

Ms Love still faces a felony case in Beverly Hills Superior Court for allegedly possessing illegal painkillers. She could face up to three years and eight months in prison.

Additionally, last month Ms Love was arraigned in New York City on charges of assault and reckless endangerment for allegedly striking a fan with a microphone stand in March, while the most recent case involves an 25 April incident in which she allegedly attacked a woman with a liquor bottle at her ex-boyfriend's Los Angeles home.

© 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd