Rock singer Pete Doherty was yesterday fined �500 and given a 12-month driving ban at Lowestoft Magistrates' Court for allowing the use of a car without insurance.

Rock singer Pete Doherty was yesterday fined �500 and given a 12-month driving ban at Lowestoft Magistrates' Court for allowing the use of a car without insurance.

Doherty, who turns 31 tomorrow, did not attend court and was represented by his solicitor, who entered a guilty plea on his behalf.

The charge relates to a collision in Hadleigh, Suffolk, last September in which a man was left fighting for his life after being knocked down by Doherty's manager, Andrew Boyd, who was driving Doherty's Daimler.

Doherty, the former Libertines singer and Babyshambles frontman was fined �500 for the offence and ordered to pay �100 court costs. His licence was endorsed and he was disqualified from driving for one year.

Gareth Davies, prosecuting, said: “The situation is that a vehicle was acquired by Mr Doherty and although it was nominally his, quite clearly other people were using it, one of whom was a man called Mr Boyd.

“There was an accident on September 22 of last year, near Hadleigh, which was absolutely nothing to do with Mr Doherty, but it was subsequently found the driver of the vehicle was not insured.”

Bruce Clark, in mitigation, said Doherty believed he was insured and had “honestly but mistakenly” allowed Boyd to use the car without insurance.

Magistrates were told that Doherty, of Marlborough, Wiltshire, had been given an 18-month driving ban and a �2,050 fine in December at Gloucester Crown Court after admitting careless and drink-driving following a concert.

Lawyers said the two bans would run concurrently and Doherty

would not be able to re-apply for a licence until the 18-month ban had ended.

Chairman of the bench Sue Pawson said yesterday: “In coming to our decision, we have taken into account Mr Doherty's previous driving record and we have taken into account his early guilty plea.

“Obviously, we have taken into account the seriousness of the offence.”

Doherty's manager Boyd, from North London, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop after an accident and driving without a licence or insurance at Ipswich Crown Court in February.

He was disqualified for three years and jailed for one year.

The crown court heard that 43-year-old Chris Corder, of Hadleigh, Suffolk, suffered “catastrophic” brain injuries and was left in a coma following the crash.