Courtney Love blasts 'retarded' drugs charges

Courtney Love denied two drug counts after ridiculing the charges in a rambling monologue to reporters before her Beverly Hills court appearance.

The complaint against the 39-year-old singer-actress said she illegally possessed two painkillers when she was treated at a hospital for an October 2 overdose. The two painkillers, hydrocodone and oxycodone, can be prescribed legally.

She called the charges “retarded”.

Love said before the hearing at Beverly Hills Municipal Court yesterday: “I didn’t even break a law. I didn’t even shoplift.”

The charges stem from an incident last month when Love was arrested and booked on two minor drug counts after she allegedly tried to break into the Los Angeles home of her former boyfriend.

After she was released, Beverly Hills police and paramedics were called to her home and took Love to a hospital for treatment of a drug overdose.

Carrying her pet beagle, Molly, and a bouquet of red roses, she rambled about missing money, an affair with a married man and throwing a sleeping pill at a police officer as she spoke to reporters about the allegations against her.

“Don’t tell,” said Love, whose past heroin use was widely reported. “It’s a big secret I used to do drugs.”

Judge Elden Fox scheduled a preliminary hearing for December 11. He instructed Love to meet with Santa Monica probation officials to assess her suitability for a drug diversion programme.

If she is found eligible, Love could plead guilty, undergo counselling and pay administrative fees, and her plea would be erased after two years, the judge said.

Love complained to her lawyer, William Gengeo, during the short hearing that potential court dates conflicted with a planned trip to London, a video shoot and the Academy Awards.

“What is it we’re continuing?” she asked at one point. “Do I have to live in this weird hell?”

Love is the widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994. She received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the 1996 movie, The People vs. Larry Flynt.