Incompetence is the new fashion it seems, a cool quarter of a million of hard working UK taxpayers money ... wasted !! Tough on Crime ...
SIR Ian Blair came under fire last night over his handling of the Kate Moss cocaine probe fiasco.
The Met police chief's nine-month, £250,000 investigation into the Mirror's pictures of the model snorting white powder fell apart after prosecutors decided they could not be sure it was coke, ecstasy or amphetamines.
And critics said the probe was a waste of time and money and should never have begun.
London's Crown Prosecution Service chief Rene Barclay said a lack of real evidence forced lawyers to ditch the case.
He added: "The footage provides an absolutely clear indication Ms Moss was using controlled drugs and providing them to others.
" However, in the absence of any forensic evidence, or direct eye-witness evidence about the substance in question, its precise nature could not be established.
"As the available evidence fell short of establishing the necessary crucial facts, we decided there was no realistic prospect of a conviction."
A CPS insider added: "We had no doubt she was taking cocaine and passing it on. Our expert was utterly convinced she was taking a controlled drug. But we just didn't know what it was."
Sir Ian's pledge to crack down on middle-class and celebrity drug-users was in tatters as Kate, 32, was told no further action would be taken. The day he started the job, he vowed: "People think their weekend wrap of 'charlie' is harm-free but not for much longer. I think we have to make a few examples of people."
And after our exclusive pictures of Kate snorting coke with boyfriend Pete Doherty, the Met Commissioner said he was personally involved in the decision to investigate her.
He added: "We have to look at the impact of this kind of behaviour on impressionable young people."
But critics accused Sir Ian of using the probe to make himself look good.
Former Flying Squad chief John O'Connor said Sir Ian and Assistant Commissioner Tariq Ghaffur should never have started the investigation.
He added: "They didn't have her caught in possession of the drug, so really Ghaffur saying he was going to interview Kate Moss was grandstanding. He knows full well that, unless you catch someone in possession, you haven't got a case."
"Sir Ian Blair was also grandstanding. It was done purely for spin and image to give the impression they are doing something about celebrities sending out a bad example."
SIR Ian Blair came under fire last night over his handling of the Kate Moss cocaine probe fiasco.
The Met police chief's nine-month, £250,000 investigation into the Mirror's pictures of the model snorting white powder fell apart after prosecutors decided they could not be sure it was coke, ecstasy or amphetamines.
And critics said the probe was a waste of time and money and should never have begun.
London's Crown Prosecution Service chief Rene Barclay said a lack of real evidence forced lawyers to ditch the case.
He added: "The footage provides an absolutely clear indication Ms Moss was using controlled drugs and providing them to others.
" However, in the absence of any forensic evidence, or direct eye-witness evidence about the substance in question, its precise nature could not be established.
"As the available evidence fell short of establishing the necessary crucial facts, we decided there was no realistic prospect of a conviction."
A CPS insider added: "We had no doubt she was taking cocaine and passing it on. Our expert was utterly convinced she was taking a controlled drug. But we just didn't know what it was."
Sir Ian's pledge to crack down on middle-class and celebrity drug-users was in tatters as Kate, 32, was told no further action would be taken. The day he started the job, he vowed: "People think their weekend wrap of 'charlie' is harm-free but not for much longer. I think we have to make a few examples of people."
And after our exclusive pictures of Kate snorting coke with boyfriend Pete Doherty, the Met Commissioner said he was personally involved in the decision to investigate her.
He added: "We have to look at the impact of this kind of behaviour on impressionable young people."
But critics accused Sir Ian of using the probe to make himself look good.
Former Flying Squad chief John O'Connor said Sir Ian and Assistant Commissioner Tariq Ghaffur should never have started the investigation.
He added: "They didn't have her caught in possession of the drug, so really Ghaffur saying he was going to interview Kate Moss was grandstanding. He knows full well that, unless you catch someone in possession, you haven't got a case."
"Sir Ian Blair was also grandstanding. It was done purely for spin and image to give the impression they are doing something about celebrities sending out a bad example."
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