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Tuesday, January 24, 1984

Linda McCartney judged for marijuana possession in London

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Last updated on February 20, 2024

From The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001 by Keith Badman:

Following her arrest at Heathrow Airport last Tuesday, Linda appears at Uxbridge Magistrates Court in Middlesex. Paul and Linda arrive early but still face massed ranks of cameramen. During the 13-minute hearing, Paul sits in the public gallery and listens while Linda pleads guilty to illegally importing a small quantity of cannabis weighing 4.9 grams, with an estimated street value of £4.90. Her defence council, Mr. Edwin Glasgow, tells the magistrates: “Linda is genuinely sorry, and wishes to make a genuine apology. I urge the court not to make an example of her just because she is famous. Linda is a thoughtful, likeable woman who has done far more for other people than those who sneer at her.” After a few moments deliberation, the magistrates fine her £75 ($105). As the McCartneys leave the courts Linda, who had given her address as Soho Square in London, remarks to waiting reporters: “It’s all much ado about nothing,” adding, “I am unhappy about being treated as a criminal when I am just an ordinary person.”

A consequence of this whole set of events was that the third single out of the album “Pipes Of Peace“, “The Man / Blackpool“, scheduled to be released on February 13th, 1984, got cancelled.

From Getty Images – British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda, at Middlesex Magistrates Court, Uxbridge, after they appeared on charges of customs evasion of cannabis at Heathrow Airport on their return from Barbados, 24th January 1984. The couple were fined seventy-five pounds after pleading guilty. (Photo by Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

Going further

The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970-2001

"An updated edition of the best-seller. The story of what happened to the band members, their families and friends after the 1970 break-up is brought right up to date. A fascinating and meticulous piece of Beatles scholarship."

We owe a lot to Keith Badman for the creation of those pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - a day to day chronology of what happened to the four Beatles after the break-up and how their stories intertwined together!

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The Beatles - The Dream is Over: Off The Record 2

This edition of the book compiles more outrageous opinions and unrehearsed interviews from the former Beatles and the people who surrounded them. Keith Badman unearths a treasury of Beatles sound bites and points-of-view, taken from the post break up years. Includes insights from Yoko Ono, Linda McCartney, Barbara Bach and many more.

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