Commander Julian Bennett, a long-serving member of the Metropolitan Police force since 1976, has denied being referred to as the “Sacker” due to the number of officers he supposedly dismissed for misconduct.
Allegations surfaced that he regularly smoked cannabis before breakfast and work, and that senior colleagues praised him for it.
During his career, Mr. Bennett served as chairman for numerous police misconduct hearings.
According to Freedom of Information requests, between June 2010 and February 2012, he presided over 74 police misconduct hearings involving 90 officers, with 56 officers being dismissed, accounting for over three-quarters of the cases.
Previously, it had been reported that he earned the nickname “The Sacker” because of the high number of officers dismissed during his rulings.
However, Mr. Bennett refuted this claim during the police tribunal at Southwark, stating that he had never been referred to as “The Sacker.”
Mr. Bennett strongly denied ever having taken illegal drugs, including cannabis.
He emphasized that he has never used any illegal substances throughout his entire life.
Despite being the author of the Metropolitan Police force’s drugs strategy for 2017-21, he maintained a neutral stance on the issue of drug use, acknowledging its complexity and the varied approaches taken by different countries.
The police officer is facing allegations of breaching the force’s professional standards for discreditable conduct three times, honesty and integrity twice, and orders and instructions once.
The alleged actions amount to gross misconduct.
Mr. Bennett, however, denies all the accusations and has been on suspension with full pay since July 2021.
A separate set of allegations that accused him of taking LSD and magic mushrooms were dismissed on a previous day of the tribunal. The proceedings continue as the investigation into the matter continues.
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