Peaches Geldof in 'shoplifting' misunderstanding

The 17-year-old daughter of Bob Geldof set off the alarms as she left the Urban Outfitters clothes shop on London's Oxford Street and was asked to go back inside.

Sources at the store claimed Miss Geldof had tried to leave without paying for the bulky coat and was eventually allowed to go after coming to an arrangement over payment.

Miss Geldof disputed that version of events last night. She was adamant she had paid for the coat and that cashiers had simply forgotten to remove the security tag.

Security guards at the shop questioned her for an hour and a half before she eventually left. The police were not called.

A shop source said the guards had thought Miss Geldof might not have paid for the coat but was walking out wearing it anyway.

'We could not find a record of her having paid for it and she did not appear to have a receipt,' the source added. 'We checked her bags as well.

'We came to an agreement and she left through the back door at the store after about an hour and a half.'

By the time she left at 4.30pm, photographers had gathered outside to picture her leaving in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes which had been called to collect her from the rear of the shop to avoid embarrassment.

Miss Geldof left the shop with her head bowed, carrying what appeared to be a number of bags bearing the shop's logo. Asked what had happened, she remained silent, though a companion replied: 'We've been shopping. What does it look like?'

At home in South London last night, Miss Geldof denied the shop source's version of events, saying she had paid for the coat and that the security tag had mistakenly been left attached to it.

'I paid for it, obviously, but they left the tag on,' she said. 'It's really nothing.'

Her 55-year-old father was unavailable for comment last night, as was a spokesman for Urban Outfitters.