Busted members lose court battle

Two original members of the boy band Busted have lost their High Court battle over a claim of £10 million in unpaid royalties. Ki McPhail and Owen Doyle maintain that they wrote several of Busted's songs, including the hits Year 3000 and What I Go to School for, when the band were formerly named the Termites.

The pair allege that they were kicked out of the band in 2001 by Matt Willis and James Bourne, and subsequently replaced by singer Charlie Simpson. Solicitor Tim Penny, representing McPhail and Doyle, said his clients were told that "unless they released their claims in relation to the group members' songs and in particular the four songs, they would be sued, Ki McPhail's parents would lose their home and the claimants would never work in the industry again."

Andrew Forbes, the solicitor representing the remaining members of the now defunct pop group said they "have emerged victorious". He added: "Doyle and McPhail were trying to claim a share of some of the band's biggest songs and also tried to use a partnership claim to grab a share of James and Matt's income from all of Busted's activities."

In a statement released today, Willis and Bourne said: "This was an opportunistic attempt by Doyle and McPhail to cash in on our success. Their claims were a complete fabrication and we are delighted that the judge has seen through this and totally dismissed them. Our position has been completely vindicated and our achievements with Busted remain untarnished."


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