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Adam Clayton of Irish rock giants U2 has begun court action against a former PA over allegations she stole over 1 million from his accounts.

The history of rock music is littered with fraudulent accounting. Groups such as The Small Faces topped the charts, only to discover that they hadn't made a penny from their songwriting.

Since then the music industry has been re-structured to give artists more rights, but some cases still exist. Leonard Cohen, for example, was left fighting bankruptcy after his accountant embezzled money from his accounts.

In a new case U2 bass player Adam Clayton has brought charges against a former personal assistant alleging that she stole more than 1.6 million from his accounts.

Carol Hawkins is alleged to have appropriated money from Clayton's account, spending it on property, including a New York apartment, expensive cars and jewellery. A case at Dublin High Court has heard that U2 bassist Adam Clayton is seeking a freezing order on the former personal assistant's accounts.

According to court statements bass player Adam Clayton is alleged to have fired Hawkins last month after she confessed to "misappropriating" some of his money. A subsequent investigation allegedly found she had been using the musician's credit and debit cards for herself, reports the Irish Independent.

A statement in court saw Carol Hawkins admit to using Adam Clayton's credit cards, but disputed the sum of money involved.

The case will resume later today (December 21st).