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Legal
Doherty denies drugs charges, is questioned over actor’s fatal fall
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 3 February 2011
Pete Doherty appeared, albeit briefly, at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London on Tuesday to face those much previously reported charges of cocaine possession, which he denies.
The Babyshambler was charged after allegedly being found in possession of cocaine when arrested following the death, by overdose, of filmmaker Robin Whitehead at the flat of Doherty collaborator Peter ‘Wolfman’ Wolfe last March. Wolfe is also charged with supplying drugs to Whitehead, who was heiress to the estate of environmentalist and writer Teddy Goldsmith. He also denies his charges, as does another man, Alan Wass, who was also charged with cocaine possession.
Earlier this month, the three men’s lawyers tried, unsuccessfully, to have the case against their clients dismissed. The defendants themselves didn’t attend that earlier hearing, which is why judge Jacqueline Comyns called them to court yesterday, even though all she did was set the date for a proper hearing at the Crown Court. The case will now be heard at London’s fashionable Snaresbrook Crown Court on 29 Mar.
Elsewhere in Doherty legal news, the Babyshambler has been interviewed by police again over the death of actor Mark Blanco at a London party attended by the singer back in 2006.
As previously reported, Blanco fell to his death from a balcony in the building where said party was taking place. Some eyewitnesses said Blanco had previously had a run in with Doherty and/or one of his associates that night, though the host of the party, Paul Roundhill, denied this. What is pretty certain, though, is that Roundhill twice forcefully evicted Blanco from his flat, the first time punching him several times in the process. It was shortly after Blanco’s second eviction that he fell to his death.
At the time, police investigations focused on the theory Blanco’s death was either suicide or an accident, perhaps as Blanco attempted to make his exit by jumping to a lamppost. But the coroner rejected the suicide theory, and, on declaring an open verdict, encouraged police to reopen their investigations. They announced plans to do so late last year, hence the new round of interviews.
A solicitor for Doherty said yesterday that the singer voluntarily attended a police station to “help officers with their inquiries”, while the Met Police confirmed no arrests had been made and that “inquiries continue and we are not prepared to discuss who we may or may not have spoken to”.
