Police commander refused to take drugs test as he used CBD oil, tribunal told

Commander Julian Bennett has served with the Metropolitan Police since 1976.

Commander Julian Bennett outside a Metropolitan Police misconduct hearing at Palestra House in south-east London (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

A senior police officer who allegedly smoked cannabis daily refused to take a drugs test as he believed that it would be positive due to the CBD oils he used to treat a medical condition, a tribunal heard.

Commander Julian Bennett, who has served in the force since 1976, is said to have smoked cannabis before breakfast and work, where he would be praised by senior colleagues.

Sheila Gomes, a nurse who lived with the officer between October and December 2019, previously told the tribunal that the officer was “never sober at home”, and that he drank and smoked cannabis.

Ms Gomes reported Mr Bennett to the police on July 17 2020.

I am concerned that because of my facial palsy issues, that having taken CBD as treatment for my face, that this might cause the test to be positive. I do not wish for that to happen and to cause embarrassment to the Metropolitan Police force

Note written by Julian Bennett

On July 20 he was invited to Scotland Yard for a private meeting, where he was asked to take a drugs test.

On Thursday, the tribunal at Southwark heard that he refused to take the test as he was concerned that the CBD oils he took to treat his facial palsy would cause the test to come back positive.

In a note written by Mr Bennett on July 20, and read out to the court, he said: “I am concerned that because of my facial palsy issues, that having taken CBD as treatment for my face, that this might cause the test to be positive.

“I do not wish for that to happen and to cause embarrassment to the Metropolitan Police force.”

Instead of taking the test, Mr Bennett said he offered his resignation.

The tribunal heard that Mr Bennett’s facial palsy began in March 2019 after he chaired a Met misconduct panel that cleared five officers of any wrongdoing in the death of Sean Rigg.

Mr Rigg, 40, died in custody at Brixton police station in 2008 after he was arrested having been seen aiming karate kicks at passers-by.

A week after the hearing ended, the left side of Mr Bennett’s face froze up, and he was forced to take a break from full-time work between March and August of that year.

He said that he tried a number of different treatments, including CBD oils.

In evidence, Mr Bennett told the tribunal that he has never taken any illegal drugs.

“I have never taken cannabis or any other illegal drug,” he said.

“In my whole life I have never taken drugs

Mr Bennett wrote the force’s drugs strategy for 2017-21 as a commander for territorial policing.

The document, called Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities, set up plans to raise “awareness of the impact of drug misuse”.

He told the tribunal that he was “pretty neutral” on the issue of drug use.

“It is a very complicated issue,” he said.

“I am pretty neutral on it. There are some countries in the world where drugs are legalised.

“Too much attention can be given to the subject, when what the public wants is help with serious criminality.”

Freedom of information requests showed 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 were dismissed – more than three quarters.

He chaired 69 hearings during that time and two officers were dismissed for drugs misuse, the figures showed.

Mr Bennett is accused of breaching the force’s professional standards for discreditable conduct three times, honesty and integrity twice and orders and instructions once.

His actions are alleged to have amounted to gross misconduct.

He denies the allegations and has been suspended on full pay since July 2021.

Further allegations that he also took LSD and magic mushrooms were dismissed on Wednesday

The tribunal continues.