"Liam Charges Thrown Out"

Liam Gallagher will not be prosecuted over his recent run-in with photographer Mel Bouzad, it was announced last week. The news was broken in a statement issued by Creation Records on November 12, which said: "Oasis' management have been informed that, due to lack of evidence, the police will not be brining charges against Liam Gallagher following widely reported allegations made by a paparazzi photographer last Wednesday, November 4."

"The allegation made by the photographer, Mel Bouzad, included claims that Liam assaulted him and smashed his camera. In fact, Liam was confronted by Bouzad while having a quiet afternoon drink with a couple of friends at a local Primrose Hill pub."

Contacted by The Maker after the news broke, Bouzad strongly disputed that version of events and expressed bewilderment over the police's decision not to take further action.

He said: "I can't understand why the charges have been dropped. The police say there's a lack of evidence, yet there were witnesses there. Now I just want to get on with my life."

Earlier in the week, Bouzad angrily denied that he had been "stalking Liam and his friends for much of the day leading up to the arrest", as Creation had claimed in a previous statement.

He said: "The idea that I had been stalking Liam for much of the day is ridiculous, as from 1pm to 3:30pm, I was 12 miles away having lunch. I then did a secret job with All Saints before I drove off, and that's when I stumbled across Liam and his friends. This is only the third time I've ever photographed Liam."

"They [Creation] always make it out to be 'poor Liam'! Am I really going to pick a fight with Liam? I'm only a teenager! All this aggravation has made me ill with stress. I was meant to do a job with the Spice Girls at Sound Republic, which would have earned me a good wage. But I'm too frightened to go anywhere."

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c 1998 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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