Pete Doherty won’t be charged over party death

Pete Doherty will not be charged over the death of an actor at a 2006 party. Mark Blanco suffered fatal head injuries after plummeting from the balcony of a first-floor flat in Whitechapel.  The 30-year-old was known to have argued with the Babyshambles singer and two other partygoers shortly before the incident, but all three have denied any wrongdoing.

The Crown Prosecution Service ruled yesterday that there was insufficient evidence to charge Doherty or any other individual for Blanco’s death, reports the BBC.

Jenny Hopkins of the CPS said: “None of the evidence is capable of establishing to the required standard that Mr Blanco was thrown or pushed from the balcony or that any other individual was present at the time he fell.”

She added: “We have met the family of Mr Blanco today to explain our decision to them and we would like to extend our sympathies to them on their loss.”

Blanco was deemed to have deliberately jumped from the balcony in an initial Scotland Yard report, but a second independent probe ordered by a coroner and a private investigation launched by the deceased’s family has cast doubt over the verdict.

Doherty’s solicitor noted in February that his client had never been formally questioned or arrested over Blanco’s death.

Doherty will appear in court for sentencing next week after pleading guilty to cocaine possession in a case stemming from the death of a 27-year-old heiress.