Pete Doherty poses with needles for photoshoot

The former Libertines frontman has battled an addiction of heroin and cocaine for almost 10 years and his drug-fuelled antics have frequently sparked a storm of criticism in his native UK, reported Contactmusic.

Now he has risked further controversy by posing with a plateful of hypodermic needles for Kiwi rocker turned photographer Steve Wells.

Wells staged an exhibition of his work in his hometown of Auckland earlier this month. Wells, who lives in Paris, France, invited the musician to sit for him after meeting him by chance at a restaurant in the European city.

In 2006, Doherty provoked a wave of revulsion in the UK when he was photographed apparently injecting an unconscious young woman with drugs.