Police officer wished to compromise integrity of ex-commissioner, tribunal informed
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senior Metropolitan Police officer accused of smoking hashish every day wished to “compromise the integrity” of former commissioner Dame Cressida Dick by asking if he might provide her his resignation on the spot as a substitute of taking a medicine check, a tribunal has heard.
Commander Julian Bennett, who has served within the drive since 1976, is alleged to have taken the drug earlier than breakfast and work in late 2019.
He can be alleged to have failed to supply a urine pattern for testing and lied about why.
When requested to supply a pattern, he requested if he might communicate to the previous commissioner and resign on the spot. This request was refused.
He says he was taking CBD oils to deal with facial palsy, which might have precipitated the check to come back up optimistic for an harmless motive.
At a misconduct listening to in Southwark, south London, he broke down as he informed the panel “the Met needs me” and stated he would moderately be at work than suspended on full pay.
What you had been asking is for the check to not occur so no-one would ever know whether or not you had certainly been taking medicine or not
Mark Ley-Morgan KC, representing the Metropolitan Police, advised if the previous commissioner had accepted his resignation, it could have smacked of “organised corruption at the highest level”.
The listening to was informed he referred to the previous commissioner as Cress.
He is alleged to have requested Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe “can I ask Cress if I can resign immediately?”.
He informed the listening to the previous commissioner was somebody “I held in high regard” whom he thought-about to be “a person of the highest integrity”.
He added that he had phoned her after his suspension, when there have been tensions between her and mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Mr Ley-Morgan requested him: “What you were asking is for the test not to happen so no-one would ever know whether you had indeed been taking drugs or not.”
It would have been an investigation into me asking to resign moderately than take the check
He replied: “It would not have stopped the investigation. It would have been an investigation into me asking to resign rather than take the test.”
He stated he supplied to resign to keep away from embarrassment to the drive.
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “What made you think that the commissioner would have been party to stopping a serious allegation against a senior police officer and sweeping it under the carpet?”
He replied: “It is not about sweeping an allegation under the carpet, of course the commissioner isn’t going to do that. I thought at the time it was the right thing to do.
“This investigation has taken three years and cost £1.5 million, a lot of that has been public money.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “Is that a good reason to sweep something under the carpet?”
He once more denied he would have ever swept something beneath the carpet.
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “What do you think the commissioner would say to Pc Jones from Streatham police station being asked to give a sample and offering to resign instead?”
I could make a contribution, the Met wants me
He replied: “I think she would not engage.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “Why would she engage with you?”
He replied: “I am a senior officer. It would have stopped a lot of this. I would not be here.”
Mr Ley-Morgan stated: “Absolutely right. It might have gone a different way.
He added: “If the commissioner had allowed you to resign rather than give a sample, do you think she would have been doing the right thing?”
Mr Bennett replied: “Yes I do.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “What do you think a fair-minded member of the public would think if they discovered the Met Police had intelligence that a commander was taking drugs and the commissioner had allowed him to resign?”
He replied: “I would have thought if they had released intelligence and followed it up, and the evidence is very limited in this case, there would not be any evidence of drug taking and they would be quite content with that, rather than having three years of this.”
Mr Ley-Morgan later requested: “You were so desperate to avoid providing a sample that you asked the commissioner to compromise her integrity.”
He replied: “That is absolutely not the case.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “Your sole concern was the reputation of the Metropolitan Police service?
He replied: “I was trying to avoid discredit (to the force). That is actually what happened.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “I suggest that is a bare-faced, cynical lie.”
The officer replied: “I am not lying on this issue or any of the other issues.”
The tribunal heard the officer imagined “negative headlines in the papers” if he examined optimistic for hashish.
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “Which do you think is more damaging for the reputation of the Metropolitan Police? ‘Commissioner of police allows Met commander to resign rather than taking a drugs test?’ or ‘Met commander tests positive for cannabis after taking CBD products bought on the high street’.”
He replied: “They’re both horrendous.”
Mr Ley-Morgan requested: “The first one, does that not smack of organised corruption at the highest level?”
The officer replied: “I think if people understood, they would actually be more supportive.”
He later broke down in response to a query about whether or not he refused to take the check as a result of he knew he can be paid whereas misconduct proceedings came about.
He stated: “I have got an in-built strong work ethic, I am embarrassed I have spent so much public money on this.
“It is not for my own benefit, I would rather be at work and given the opportunity I would go back.”
During re-examination by his lawyer John Beggs KC, he broke down once more as he defined what was going via his thoughts when he was requested to take a check.
He stated: “I am quite an emotional person sir. I was all over the place.”
He later added: “I wanted to work, I still want to work. I can make a contribution, the Met needs me.”
The tribunal additionally heard he had stopped taking medicine for facial palsy in late 2019 however he stated he nonetheless wanted to take CBD oil after that.
Earlier on Friday, the tribunal heard he might have offered a medicine check when he believed it could not have come up optimistic as a result of he was taking CBD oil.
The tribunal heard that won’t have been true however it’s nonetheless what he believed on the time.
He additionally described Sheila Gomes, his ex-lodger, who made the allegations, as a “lonely and troubled individual” with “a lot of issues”.
He added of Ms Gomes: “I think she suggests I had the power to control her and turn lights on and off and that I am a reptilian. This is incredible stuff.”
Mr Bennett wrote the drive’s medicine technique for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing.
The doc, referred to as Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, arrange plans to lift “awareness of the impact of drug misuse”.
Freedom of knowledge requests confirmed Mr Bennett presided over 74 police misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012.
Out of the hearings involving Mr Bennett, 56 officers had been dismissed – greater than three quarters.
He chaired 69 hearings throughout that point and two officers had been dismissed for medicine misuse, the figures confirmed.
Mr Bennett is accused of breaching the drive’s skilled requirements for discreditable conduct 3 times, honesty and integrity twice and orders and directions as soon as.
His actions are alleged to have amounted to gross misconduct.
He denies the allegations and has been suspended on his six-figure wage since July 2021.
Claims he took LSD and magic mushrooms had been dismissed by the tribunal panel on Wednesday.
The tribunal continues on September 12.