Kasabian have issued a statement after their former singer Tom Meighan pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner and was given an 18-month community order and ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work.
The statement reads: "Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from Kasabian.
"No one in the band wanted this to happen. We have all worked so hard for the past twenty three years and had big plans for our future together. We're completely heartbroken.
"But we were left with no choice but to ask Tom to leave the band. There is absolutely no way we can condone his assault conviction."
"Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable. As soon as we found out about the charges made against Tom, we as a band made the decision that we could no longer work with him.
"Unfortunately we had to hold back this information until he was found guilty in court.
"We were led to believe that Tom would hold his hands up and in his statement tell everyone what he'd done but he chose not to, misleading a lot of fans.
"Ultimately, as much as Tom has hurt us all, we're not the victim in all of this. Domestic violence is something that can never be excused.
"Thank for your support at this difficult time."
39-year-old Meighan was found guilty of assaulting his partner Vikki Ager on April 9 this year. The pair got together in 2017 after Meighan split with his long-term girlfriend Kim James, with whom he has a daughter, Mimi.
Advert
As well as his unpaid work, Meighan will also be required to complete five days of rehabilitation and ordered to pay a £90 victim surcharge and £85 in prosecution costs. No restraining order has been imposed.
Sentencing Meighan, district judge Nick Watson said: "I
need to take account of the fact that not only did you hurt Ms Ager, you also
let down many people - band members and those who love your music. They will be
shocked about what you did that night."
This court appearance comes just one day after the band released a statement saying that he'd be leaving Kasabian after fronting the band since 1997.
That statement read: "Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent.
Advert
"Tom has struggled with personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time and now wants to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track. We will not be commenting further."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: UK News, Music, UK Entertainment