From the Daily Record :
[
www.dailyrecord.co.uk]
28 August 2006
ROLL-UP STONE IS CLEARED
Keith won't face cig fineBy Steven Ventura
ROCKER Keith Richards won't be hit with a £50 fine for smoking a cigarette on stage at Hampden Park.
The Rolling Stones great lit up during the concert last Friday in front of 50,000 fans, in apparent defiance of Scotland's smoking ban.
But while council chiefs are investigating, the Record can reveal that outdoor sections of the stadium are NOT covered by the ban.
And Hampden's owners, who have their own smoking ban, won't be taking any action.
At the weekend, anti-smoking groups demanded that guitarist Richards, who has twice been charged with drugs offences, face a fine.
But an Executive spokesman said last night: "Football grounds are not governed by the law because they are not regarded as enclosed spaces."
Hampden bosses made the stadium a smoke-free zone in January. Fans flouting the rule face ejection if they refuse to stub out.
But it's understood the stadium's chiefs have no interest in taking the Richards case further.
Smokers' rights group FOREST Scotland said the decision saved the nation from more embarrassment caused by the anti-smoke laws.
Spokesman Neil Rafferty said: "It's a relief that Scotland won't be humiliated yet again.
"Keith Richards could have obviously afforded the £50, had he broken the rules. But thousands of Scots can't risk being hit with the penalty.
"The smoke ban has already been demonstrated as a farce after actor Mel Smith was affected as he portrayed Churchill at the Edinburgh Festival.
"These episodes continue to make Scotland look stupid."