Rocco Ritchie, the 16-year-old son of pop icon Madonna and well-known film director Guy Ritchie, has been seen for the first time since his arrest for possession of marijuana on September 28. The arrest did not appear to dampen Rocco’s spirits as he was seen giggling and cuddling up to his girlfriend, Kim Turnbull, in London.
He was also seen a day later walking with his minder wearing a smile on his face while his father pedaled a bicycle not far behind. The writer/director of cult favorites Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels has yet to comment on his teenage son’s arrest.
Madonna has publicly declared her support for her son citing the legal matter as a family issue.
“I love my son very much,” she said. “I will do whatever I can to give him the support that he needs, and I ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Rocco was reported to the authorities by neighbors, as he was seen “smoking and doing drugs” outside of their Camden house located in a wealthy area of London.
A police spokesperson confirmed the arrest stating, “A 16-year-old youth has been arrested for possession of cannabis” that followed a “stop and search.” Young Ritchie “was taken to a north London police station. He was subsequently bailed and dealt with by Camden borough’s Youth Offending Team.”
A neighbor who did not wish to be identified stated he saw Rocco attempted to purchase alcohol at a local pub around the time of the arrest.
“He is a polite boy, but he hangs around with boys from an estate who are not so polite.”
The neighbor continued, “Of course he smokes weed. They are young boys and we were all like that once.”
The man added, “With his mum in the US he must worry about getting in trouble in case he gets sent over there," as British citizens with a criminal record are no longer eligible for automatic entry and must apply for a visa.
It is likely that Rocco has dual-citizenship, as his mother is American nationality and his father is British. Ritchie has been in the center of a custody dispute between his parents since December 2015 that resulted in a settlement agreement that Rocco would continue to live in London.
It appears that agreement bodes well for young Ritchie after he commented, “So glad I don’t live here anymore,” on an Instagram video of his mother and siblings taking part in the new mannequin challenge craze. The comment and video were soon deleted following minor fan backlash.