Kasabian speak out after Tom Meighan's sentencing for assault, say he misled fans

7 July 2020, 22:03 | Updated: 9 July 2020, 09:37

The remaining members of the Leicester band have taken to Twitter to break their silence on events and condemn domestic violence and abuse.

Kasabian have spoken out following Tom Meighan's sentencing for assaulting his partner.

The former frontman of the Leicester band attended Leicester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday (7 July) and pled guilty to one count of assault by beating on 9 April.

Now, in a statement to fans, the band have revealed they are "completely heartbroken" by the departure of Meighan, but added they were left with no choice but to ask him to leave.

"There is no way we can condone his assault conviction. Domestic violence and abuse of any kind is totally unacceptable," they said.

"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.

"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."

The band continued: "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."

See their full statement here:

Now that the legal proceedings have been concluded, we can comment on the departure of Tom Meighan from the band. Full statement below. Kasabian x pic.twitter.com/vP7Y61sxQA
— KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 7, 2020

The statement comes after Meighan was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work after the court heard on Tuesday the details of his assault against Vikki Ager earlier this year.

As reported by ITV News, Meighan originally denied an assault had taken place but after watching video footage, he told officers he could not watch it any further because it was "horrible".

The court heard Vikki Ager suffered bruising to her knees, left elbow, outer ankle and big toe as well as a reddening around the neck, which she confirmed to police was as a result of the assault.

Prosecutor Naeem Valli told the court the offence “could be argued to be relatively serious” – describing it as a “sustained assault”.

On Monday (6 July), the band broke the news of Meighan's departure, writing: "Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent. 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."

Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent. 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.
— KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 6, 2020

The former vocalist then wrote on his own Twitter account: "Following today's announcement I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well. I'm in a really good place now. Thanks for all your love and support. I'll be seeing you all very soon. TM x".

Following today's announcement I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well. I'm in a really good place now. Thanks for all your love and support. I'll be seeing you all very soon. TM x #TomMeighan #Kasabian
— Tom Meighan (@MeighanOfficial) July 6, 2020

Meighan’s departure leaves guitarist Serge Pizzorno and bassist Chris Edwards as the only remaining founding members, with current drummer Ian Matthews joining the group in 2004.

The Leicester outfit have released six studio albums in Kasabian (2004), Empire (2006), West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (2009), Velociraptor! (2011), 48:13 (2014) and For Crying Out Loud (2017).

It is unclear whether the band will replace Meighan or continue as a trio.