Too Busy For Vengeance

Longtime Kinks frontman Ray Davies didn’t return to New Orleans to testify against a man who allegedly drove a getaway car for a purse snatcher who shot the singer in the leg.

District Attorney Eddie Jordan said Davies sent word that he is on tour and unavailable until December. As a result, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Jerome Barra and he was released April 20th.

At press time, Davies was gearing up for a solo European jaunt through Belgium, Denmark and Britain.

Barra was to face trial on charges of armed robbery and principal to aggravated battery in the January 2004 attack.

“We’ll see if we can reinstate the charges once the victim is able to return to New Orleans,” Jordan said. “But we do need victims in order to prosecute an armed robbery case.”

Police said Davies was walking with a woman near the edge of the French Quarter when a car pulled alongside them. A gun-wielding passenger jumped from the car and demanded that Davies’ companion give up her purse.

After the woman complied, Davies pursued the robber. The perpetrator turned and shot the singer once in the leg before getting in the car and fleeing, police said.

The victims were able to give police the car’s licence plate number and about two hours later, police arrested Barra at the wheel. The gunman was never identified.

Davies was treated for a minor gunshot wound and had to postpone a series of concert dates.