Officer behind Yard’s drugs plan ‘smoked cannabis daily’
A SCOTLAND Yard commander who wrote his force’s drugs strategy smoked cannabis daily, a misconduct hearing was told yesterday.
Julian Bennett, who joined the police in 1976, is also accused of using Lsd and magic mushrooms.
He had led misconduct hearings and was nicknamed ‘sacker’ for his tough approach to officers who broke rules.
But now he faces losing his job as commander over the allegations. He is also accused of failing to give a drug sample in July 2020 after suspicions arose about him taking cannabis and of lying about why he did not provide one. And the officer was allegedly photographed with cannabis on his table at home.
Mr Bennett had written the force’s anti-drugs strategy for 2017 to 2021, a plan named ‘dealing with the Impact of drugs on Communities’. His lawyer, John Beggs QC, told the misconduct hearing his client’s work was regularly praised by senior officers, including the then commissioner dame Cressida dick.
‘This man has a long and distinguished career in the force,’ Mr Beggs said. ‘His high performance was being commended in the weeks he was allegedly smoking cannabis on a daily basis.’
Mr Bennett, who is in his sixties, had claimed he had taken cannabidiol, a form of medical cannabis, to treat facial palsy. Mr Beggs said: ‘Had he taken a drug test on July 21, 2020, he might well have tested positive for an entirely innocent reason. He recognises he should have taken the drugs test. He had been taking cannabis tinctures and oils from Holland & Barrett and the like.’
The hearing was told the case could be thrown out because the key witness – a nurse who lodged with Mr Bennett and plans to write a book about the claims – did not turn up to give evidence.
Mr Bennett, who was suspended on his estimated £128,000-a-year salary after the claims came to light, sacked 200 officers after misconduct hearings – including two for drug misuse. The tribunal in west London continues.