Redlands bust

Published: 2009-10-11

Keith Richards - Redlands

This country house in west sussex was bought by Keith Richards the 60s, it has got a thatched roof and is surrounded by a moat.

On sunday the 13th of February 1967 the well-publicised Redlands bust took place here, twenty police officers raided the building. The bust had its origin in an incident in South Kensington earlier the same year.

All of this originated from an evening at South Kensingtons Blaises earlier the same year, reporters from the News of The World overheard Brian Jones talking to two girls about the illegal drugs on offer if they would follow him home. The reporters wrongly identified him as Mick Jagger and published a story claiming Mick used LSD and used it to lure women. Mick threatened the newspaper with legal action, in response to this the News of The World tipped off the police of an upcoming house party where they assumed illegal drugs would be used.

Mick Jagger was charnged with possession over a handful of amphetamines found in his coat, said to have been bought in Italy where they were legally available. Keith Richards was charged with allowing his home to be used for drugs consumption. The pair was found guilty in the trial that followed, Mick Jagger received a three month prison sentence and Keith Richards a twelve month.

The sentences triggered a storm of protest and support across the world, in London fans held a candlelit vigil in Piccadilly Circus, In New York, fans mounted angry protests outside the British Consulate. The conservative newspaper The Times published an editorial in defense of the two called "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel", it was highly critical of the court's decision and argued that their sentences had been harder because of their public image.

The pair appealed their sentences, Keith's sentence was quashed and Mick's reduced to a conditional discharge.

Before being released on bail following the first trial, both Mick and Keith spent the night in prison. Mick at Brixton prison (turn into link) and Keith at Wormwood scrubs (link) prison.

Beatles member George Harrison and his girlfriend Patti Boyd was present at the Redlands party, but left before the bust. There have been claims that the police were aware of their prescence and held back the bust until they had left the party.

The following people are believed to have been present at the Redlands party, some of them left before the bust took place.

• Patti Boyd
• Tony Bramwell
• Michael Cooper
• Nicky Cramer
• Marianne Faithfull
• Robert Fraser
• George Harrison
• Christopher Gibbs
• Mick Jagger
• Mohammed Jajaj
• Edward James
• Brian Jones
• David Litvinoff
• Anita Pallenberg
• Keith Richards
• Tony Sanchez
• David Schneidermann
• Charlie Watts
• Bill Wyman