[Locke.]

Kanye West has called for a law to be passed against paparazzi intrusion.

The rapper, who was arrested at a Gateshead hotel on Friday following a scuffle with a photographer, has asked for new rules to be introduced to protect celebrities.

"When will there be a law passed that simply enforces that someone has to ask to take a photograph of you? That would seem like common courtesy," he wrote on his website.

"Right now the [paparazzi] are above the law and the people they [photograph] are below it. What should be illegal is pictures taken with the intent to sell."

West added that snappers engage in "by any means necessary" behaviour that is dangerous for everyone involved.

He said: "You shouldn't be able to sell a picture of me without my permission. I am not a celebrity. I'm a normal person that's just famous. I put my hand up to the camera in self-defence!"

Digital Spy