LONDON (AP) – Pete Doherty, the troubled former boyfriend of Kate Moss, has been sentenced to 12 months of community service for possessing drugs.

Doherty, the 26-year-old front man of the group Babyshambles, pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 27.

He spoke only to confirm his name and address, and appeared disoriented during the hearing Wednesday at Ealing Magistrates’ Court in west London, glancing frequently toward supporters in the public gallery. They burst into applause when it became clear Doherty would not be going to jail.

Judge Ann McLaughlin warned Doherty that if he broke the drug rehabilitation requirement of his community service order he would be brought back before the court and might go to jail.

The maximum sentence for possession of Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine is seven years in prison.

She ordered Doherty to submit to a drug test each month and told him to return to Thames Magistrates’ Court on March 8 for a review of the order.

Doherty told the British Broadcasting Corp.’s Radio One that he planned to have an implant to help him stay off heroin.

“As far as drugs are concerned, it’s simple – I’d rather be on the out with no smack than inside prison with no smack,” he said, adding that he was “breathing a sigh of relief” over the sentence.

The singer became upset when asked if he thought being famous had helped him avoid jail.

“What do you think I’ve been doing for the last 12 days? Picking tulips?” he said. “I’ve been sat in a cell sweating it out, fully aware of the circumstances.”

Prosecutor Bryony Derbyshire had told the court Doherty was stopped by police in London on Nov. 30, and heroin and cocaine were found in his car.

He was stopped again four days later, when police found heroin, morphine, crack cocaine and marijuana in his car.

Doherty was again stopped by police in London on Jan. 26, when he was found to be carrying heroin. He pleaded guilty at three earlier hearings to seven counts of drug possession in relation to these incidents.

Doherty’s lawyer, Sean Curran, had argued against a jail sentence.

“He is only a harm to himself, and the real shame here would be if he did not receive the treatment he needs,” Curran said.

Moss, 31, lost modeling contracts with H&M, Burberry and Chanel last year after the Daily Mirror tabloid published pictures of her allegedly using cocaine in a west London music studio where Doherty, then her boyfriend, was recording with Babyshambles.

She later went into a rehabilitation clinic in Arizona and has since resumed her modeling career.

LONDON (AP) – Two-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes and longtime partner Francesca Annis have separated, lawyers for the actress said.

The announcement came after the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Fiennes had had an affair with a Romanian singer.

“Ms. Annis confirms today that she and Ralph Fiennes are to separate,” said a statement issued Tuesday by her law firm, Schillings.

Fiennes, 43, and Annis, 61, met while starring in a 1995 stage production of “Hamlet,” in which Fiennes played the title role and Annis played his mother. Fiennes was married to actress Alex Kingston at the time, while Annis had three children with photographer Patrick Wiseman.

Schillings said Annis had begun legal action against The Daily Mail newspaper for defamation and invasion of privacy over a story claiming she had forgiven Fiennes for his affair.

Fiennes, nominated for Academy Awards for his roles in “Schindler’s List” and “The English Patient,” played the evil Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” He is among the stars in “The Constant Gardener.”

Annis’ screen credits include roles in “Dune” and “The Libertine.”

LONDON (AP) – A British music studio said it had bought Air Studios, the recording facility founded by Beatles producer George Martin.

Richard Boote, owner of Strongroom recording studios, said Wednesday he had bought the converted London church from Chrysalis Group PLC and Pioneer GB Limited.

Strongroom said the studio changed hands in a multimillion dollar deal, but did not disclose the price.

In a statement, Boote said he planned to keep Air Studios operating under its existing name. He said the purchase “will not only ensure the survival of two of the greatest recording facilities in Europe, but also enhance the offerings of both studios.”

Martin, 80, said he was “very happy that we are now associated with Strongroom, a company that shares our ideals and our dedication to recording high quality music.”

“I am confident that Richard will continue to promote and develop Air as a world-class recording facility,” Martin said in a statement.

Martin, who produced the records that propelled The Beatles to fame in the 1960s, founded Air Studios in central London in 1969. It later relocated to its present home, a converted Victorian church in the fashionable Hampstead neighborhood.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney recorded tracks for his recent album, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” there, joining a list of clients that includes U2, Robbie Williams, George Michael and Coldplay.

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