Doherty in court to admit possession of heroin and cocaine

He had invited any passing fans to join him for his appearance before the bench, but Pete Doherty's starring roles in court are perhaps not the draw they were.

Only a hardcore group of 20 made it to Ealing magistrates' court in west London yesterday where the singer pleaded guilty to possessing heroin and cocaine. He will have to wait four weeks to find out his sentence.

"I love you Pete, I love you!" shouted Tom Nichols, 21, a student from Twickenham, as he hugged the singer, who kissed him. "Cheers mate, thanks a lot," were Doherty's only words before he was bundled off through the crowd.

Inside, Doherty admitted two charges of possessing class-A drugs. He had been driving a green Jaguar above the speed limit on nearby Cleveland Road when police officers stopped him shortly after midnight on 30 November.

"He appeared to be under the influence of something," Bryony Darbyshire, for the prosecution, said. "His eyes were glazed, his pupils were dilated and he appeared nervous and was fidgety."

She said Doherty had been "frank" with officers and admitted possessing hard drugs. She told magistrates that police found three wraps with 0.875 grams of heroin and one wrap of cocaine, weighing 0.234 grams. In custody later he tested positive for cocaine and opiates.

The 26-year-old arrived 70 minutes late for his trial due to "traffic difficulties" and was escorted up the courtroom steps with a white jacket over his head.

Eamonn Sherry, for the defence, told the court that Doherty was due to return to Stoke Newington police station on 20 January and 6 February in relation to separate allegations of possessing "small amounts" of drugs. He asked for a four-week adjournment while a pre-sentence report was compiled. The magistrates released him on unconditional bail so that he could continue to attend gigs. They ordered him to return on 8 February. The chairman, Gurdev Singh Dadral, warned Doherty to arrive punctually next time and said that "all options" were open for sentencing.

After meeting an official from the probation service - in the cells, because of the reporters outside - Doherty emerged from the building muttering: "I shouldn't be here, I'm supposed to be in Stoke for a gig."

Popular for his way with lyrics, his dress sense and his defiant behaviour - but most of all for the close relationship he has with fans - Doherty has made headlines through his public rows with members of his former band, the Libertines, and his friendship with the model Kate Moss. Their relationship ended last year.