(Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)
A Scotland Yard commander who wrote the Metropolitan Police’s drug strategy smoked cannabis daily, a misconduct hearing was told.
Commander Julian Bennett, who has been suspended for two years on full pay, has also been accused of using LSD and magic mushrooms, while failing to provide a drug test in July 2020.
It was reported to the police by Sheila Gomes, who Mr Bennett accepted as a guest for eight to 10 weeks in 2019.
Bennett wrote the force’s drug strategy – Tackling the impact of drugs on communities – for 2017 to 2021.
His barrister, John Beggs QC, told the misconduct hearing in south-west London that his client’s work was regularly praised by senior officers, including former chief constable Dame Cressida Dick.
Bennett, in his sixties, had claimed he had taken cannabidiol, a form of medicinal cannabis, to treat facial paralysis. Beggs said: “If I had taken a drug test on July 21, 2020, I could have tested positive for a completely innocent reason.”
He also questioned why the police were now seeking written and not oral evidence from Ms Gomes, negating any questioning of the lawyer.
Mark Ley-Morgan QC, representing the police, said Bennett’s explanation for refusing to provide a sample for testing, that he had taken CBD (cannabidiol) for a medical condition causing embarrassing facial symptoms , was implausible.
“He tried to resign on the spot, he asked someone to go and talk to the commissioner and ask if he would let him resign,” Ley-Morgan said.
“He then gave an explanation of why he thought his sample might be positive. Why would you give that explanation but then refuse to give a sample? It doesn’t make sense.”
He said the refusal “makes sense if you believe your sample will reveal that you are a regular cannabis user” or that it would be inconsistent with using CBD oil.
The court will issue its decision on whether the case should continue on September 30.
