Pete Doherty is reportedly facing arrest for the second time this week after allegedly attacking a female photographer in Somerset yesterday.

Pete is staying with friends in Crewkerne as a condition of the bail related to his arrest at the weekend. He is said to have chased the photographer and attacked her after she took a photograph of him with his ex-girlfriend, model Irina Lazareanu.

According to onlookers, Pete chased the photographer, Cath Mead, into a music shop and kicked her in the legs, pulled her hair, hit around the head with her camera strap then smashed up her camera lens. He was eventually restrained by an off-duty policeman and a passerby.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson confirmed: “We did receive an allegation of common assault following an incident in Crewkerne yesterday. A woman in her 20s has claimed she was assaulted by a man in the George Shopping centre at 3pm.”

“She wasn’t seriously injured but it’s believed damage was caused to the victim’s camera. The incident is being investigated.”

Cath told the Mirror that to start with Pete was posing for photos with fans: “One minute he was OK, then he went crazy. He shouted, ‘I’m going to slit your mother’s throat’, and screamed, ‘You’re not going to get away with those pictures, b*tch.’”

“He kicked me and pulled my hair then whipped me with my strap and only stopped when a policeman came. Then his girlfriend was hugging me, crying with me and saying, ‘I’m so sorry. He’s drunk, he really needs help.’”

“I knew Pete could be emotional but I didn’t think he’d hit a 22-year-old girl. He was in a rage. He was totally out of control.”

In related news, Pete’s band, Babyshambles, has been banned from playing a charity gig inside Pentonville jail, North London after his arrest for possession of drugs at the weekend.

Pete, who spent time in the prison early last year, had wanted to play the gig for immates in aid of the teen suicide prevention charity, Wasted Youth.

A source told the Sun that police officials thought his repeated arrests may send out the wrong message to prisoners and “the gig is to focus on the message but it would have turned into a Doherty circus.”