Former Kasabian singer Tom Meighan pleads guilty to assaulting ex- fiancée

Former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan has appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court this morning (Tuesday 7th July) where he pleaded guilty to assaulting his ex-fiancee.

Yesterday, Kasabian released a short statement saying 39-year-old Meighan had left the band as he “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.”

Meighan later told fans on Twitter: "I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well. I'm in a really good place now."

It has now emerged that Meighan quit the band a day before his appearance at Leicester Magistrates' Court on an assault charge.

Meighan pleaded guilty to one charge of assault by beating Vikki Ager on Thursday 9th April of this year. The court heard a child witnessed the assault and had contacted 999.

In sentencing, Meighan was given an 18-month community order and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Meighan must also complete five days of rehabilitation, and he was ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs and a £90 victim surcharge.

The singer and Ager had been engaged since 2017.

Kasabian condemn Tom Meighan in statement:

Kasabian issued a statement on the evening of Tuesday 7th July condemning Tom Meighan's actions, saying "domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable."

They also explained that they "were left with no choice" but to fire Tom Meighan from the band.

Kasabian's full 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.

"See you all soon

"Kasabian x"

It’s currently unclear whether Kasabian will seek a replacement singer for Tom Meighan. Guitarist/songwriter Serge Pizzorno and bassist Chris Edwards are now the sole constant members of the band.

Tom Meighan's releases statement

24 hours after Kasabian released their statement, Tom Meighan posted his own statement on Wednesday 8th July saying he is "completely to blame" and accepts "all responsibility" for his actions.

Reacting to Kasabian's claims that he misled fans with his statement on Monday (6th July), Meighan said "I only wanted to assure everyone that I was in a good place mentally, compared to where I had been."

He added: "I would never knowingly mislead fans and appreciate them greatly."

Tom Meighan's full statement reads:

“I would like to make a statement about recent events and publicly apologise to my partner Vikki, my band-mates, my friends, family and fans. I am very sorry and deeply regret my recent behaviour. In no way am I trying to condone my actions or make excuses. I am completely to blame and accept all responsibility.

“I have struggled for many years with alcohol addiction. The incident in April was a wake-up call for me, for who I was, and what I was becoming. I was spiralling out of control. My mental health was becoming more and more unstable and I was at breaking point.’

“I booked myself into a rehabilitation programme for alcoholism. It’s been well documented I’ve undergone treatment before, but in truth I’ve never actually been completely sober.

“This time has been different. I left the programme 3 weeks ago and with the support of my family and friends, I’ve been taking every day as it comes, getting through each day completely clean and sober. This time I actually really want to do it, not just for those I care about, but also for myself.’

“I have also recently been diagnosed with ADHD, and although this is in no way excuses my actions, it has helped me to understand more about my behavioural issues.

“Vikki and I are still very much in love and we are looking forward to rebuilding our life together with the support of those close to us.

“I would like to assure everyone that the incident in question was an isolated one, and anyone who knows me will know it was completely out of character.

“With regards my statement on Monday, I only wanted to assure everyone that I was in a good place mentally, compared to where I had been. At which point, I wasn’t able to acknowledge the pending case. I would never knowingly mislead fans and appreciate them greatly.’

“Vikki & I hope to be able to move on from this as a stronger couple. I hope in time you can forgive me.

“TMx”

• Tom Meighan
• Kasabian