R.E.M. star cleared of air rage

Buck, left, waves after leaving crown court

LONDON, England -- R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck has been cleared by a jury in a British court of drunken behaviour charges during a transatlantic flight.

The jury at Isleworth Crown Court, west London, returned a verdict of not guilty on Friday during a second day of deliberation.

The 45-year-old U.S. millionaire had been accused of attacking cabin staff during hours of allegedly "loutish behaviour" on a flight between Seattle and London last year.

The father-of-two, described by his wife, fellow celebrities and other friends as the "politest, gentlest" person imaginable, said a sleeping tablet turned most of the 10-hour flight in a first class cabin last April into a mental blank.

He was cleared of having been drunk on a plane, assaulting an air stewardess and a cabin services director and of causing criminal damage to British Airways' property.

Buck sighed audibly and wiped his brow as the jury, which had deliberated for five-and-a-half hours, returned its verdicts.

Prosecutors had claimed during the trial that Buck, who was a normally respectable and quiet man, had lied in an effort to protect his multi-million-pound career.

David Bate QC, prosecuting, said Buck changed from a "pleasant and polite southern gentleman" into a "nasty and foul-mouthed drunk that even his family would not recognise" after drinking about 15 glasses of wine on a flight to London in April 2001.

Buck (second from left) receives support during the trial from his fellow band members and his wife

The guitarist had denied the charges.

Buck, who had been travelling to London to perform at the Nelson Mandela concert in Trafalgar Square, said he had a bad reaction after taking a sleeping tablet and drinking up to six small glasses of red wine.

None of his travel companions spotted his alleged bad behaviour and Buck blacked out after taking the tablet, the court was told.

Buck had told the court he had no recollection of allegedly attacking cabin staff, splattering them with yoghurt or trying to leave the plane at 35,000ft, saying he wanted "to go home."

He also did not recall allegedly upending a hostess trolley after failing to play a CD on it, swearing at the captain and ripping up a "yellow card" warning him to behave or face arrest.

His defence had argued there was confusion over the identity of the culprit and that it was not Buck.

R.E.M., one of the most successful rock bands in the world, has sold an estimated 40 million records worldwide, according to its label, Warner Bros. Records.

Formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 with a line-up of Buck, Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the band has released 16 albums and had a string of hits including "Losing My Religion," "Stand" and "Shiny Happy People."

After his arrest at Heathrow last year, Buck released a statement saying: "I am very sorry for the incident and, of course, very embarrassed about the whole thing."