R.E.M. Guitarist Peter Buck Cleared of Rampage on British Airways Flight

TBO.com ^ | 4/5/02 | Ed Johnson

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck sighed and wiped his brow Friday after a jury acquitted him of charges of going on a drunken rampage on a trans-Atlantic flight.

Buck, 45, was found innocent of assault, being drunk on an aircraft and damaging British Airways crockery during the trip from Seattle to London last April.

His wife, Stephanie, sobbed as the verdict was read. R.E.M.'s lead singer, Michael Stipe, took off his glasses and wiped his eyes before hugging the band's bass guitarist, Michael Mills.

Reading from a statement outside Isleworth Crown Court, Buck's lawyer said the guitarist was relieved.

"I am grateful to the court, the jury and my lawyers, to my family, friends and supporters who have stood by me throughout this experience," Neill Blundell said on Buck's behalf.

"I am obviously relieved to be finished here and I look forward to be returning my attention to my family, my band and music," Blundell added for his client.

Buck, who stood with Stipe and Mills and held hands with his wife after the verdict, declined to speak, although he replied "yes" when reporters asked whether he'd fly home on British Airways.

During the lengthy trial, prosecutors said Buck, who was traveling to Britain to promote the band's album, "Reveal," had acted like a "drunken lout" after consuming 15 glasses of wine on the flight.

They claimed he overturned a breakfast cart, mistook a hostess trolley for a compact disc player, claimed a stranger was his wife and tussled with crew members, covering them with yogurt.

Crew members testified they pulled Buck away from an exit door after he announced he was "going home" mid-flight.

Buck testified he had suffered a bad reaction to the combination of a sleeping pill and red wine and had no memory of his alleged actions.

He said he was overcome with shame when he learned of his reported behavior. "To me it was just incomprehensible. ... I have never been in trouble before. ... I will go miles away to avoid confrontation. I really don't like it," he said during the trial.

Character witnesses, including Stipe and Mills and U2 frontman Bono, testified that Buck was a gentle family man who did not abuse alcohol or drugs.

British Airways said Friday it accepted the verdict.

"We will continue to treat allegations of assault on our staff and drunkenness on aircraft extremely seriously and support any prosecutions," a spokesman said on condition of anonymity, adding that Buck was welcome to fly again with the airline.

[DEADROCK]

Any French judges on the jury? Or R.E.M. fans?

[NatureGirl]

had no memory of his alleged actions

He said he was overcome with shame when he learned of his reported behavior

Okay...so which is it? Did he allegedly trash the airplane? Did he "feel shame" at something that he allegedly did? Or did he feel shame at something that he actually did?

A Simpsons quote would be somewhat appropriate here:

(singing)
"We should lock you away
Where you can't kill or maim us -
But this is L.A.
And you're rich and faaamous!"

[Mike K]

"... testified that Buck was a gentle family man who did not abuse alcohol or drugs."

So 15 glasses of wine is normal consumption on a flight? Abuse would be what, 16?

[HaveGunWillTravel]

Maybe he should sue the airline for trying to poison him.

[EODGUY]

Another example of justice being meted out fairly and without consideration of the offender's celebrity, ability to hire an expensive attorney or status. /sarcasm off/

I'm certain that the same verdict would have be rendered if the offender had been a lower middle class laborer on vacation. /sarcasm really off this time/

[SamAdams76]

Buck testified he had suffered a bad reaction to the combination of a sleeping pill and red wine and had no memory of his alleged actions.

Yeah, I imagine I'd have a bad reaction too if I consumed a sleeping pill and 15 glasses of wine.

They claimed he overturned a breakfast cart, mistook a hostess trolley for a compact disc player, claimed a stranger was his wife and tussled with crew members, covering them with yogurt. Crew members testified they pulled Buck away from an exit door after he announced he was "going home" mid-flight.

I guess the starry-eyed jury considered the crew of this airplane to be liars. Either that, or they considered the overturning of a trolley cart to be acceptable behavior on an airplane.

Must be nice to be a beautiful person.

[the]

Next time some B-List celeb starts getting anti-crockery on a BA flight I expect to see some style justice.

[Orual]

Buck testified he had suffered a bad reaction to the combination of a sleeping pill and red wine and had no memory of his alleged actions.

He said, ashamedly, while munching on a Twinkie. Everyone who is anyone knows you always drink white wine with sleeping pills.

[FrdmLvr]

Ghastly man! I'm surprized they didn't arrest him for that offense.

[dighton]

The Celebrity Exemption -- feh! A pity the crew didn't rearrange his face.

[Orual]

A pity the crew didn't rearrange his face.

Someone beat them to it.

[general_re]

Yeah, I imagine I'd have a bad reaction too if I consumed a sleeping pill and 15 glasses of wine.

Same here. But I don't think my bad reaction would consist of me going on a rampage and acting like an a**hole. With that combo, I think it would be more like me going semi-comatose and getting my stomach pumped as soon as the plane landed.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

The real music came from Britain and a few of these legends/"banks" still reside there. Considering the British economic system, how could the pounds figure into this?

[the]

How can any country that will not protect its crockery be considered civilized?

Earlier thread about this buffoon

[Owl_Eagle]

Thank you for sharing my concerns for the crockery!

My Lord, I thought this thread died weeks ago ;-)

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”