It is suggested by CCTV footage that Mark Blanco, the actor who passed away at a 2006 party attended by Pete Doherty, was likely dropped to his death.
In December 2006, Blanco incurred fatal head injuries after a fall from a first-floor balcony in Whitechapel, East London. He was at a party in a flat directly above, where both Doherty and his bodyguard Jonathan Jeannevol were also present.
Following a 2007 inquest, which suggested Doherty had instructed Jeannevol to “talk” to Blanco due to his annoyance, the singer found himself implicated. CCTV recordings depict Doherty fleeing the scene of Blanco’s body, an action he has expressed being “completely ashamed” of.
Those present at the party, including Doherty, have consistently claimed ignorance regarding the circumstances of Blanco’s death. In a blog post last year, Doherty reaffirmed: “When he fell or jumped he was alone. That is what happened. He either fell or was making an extreme point about the nature of life imitating art.”
Despite a coroner dismissing suicide as a possibility, police have yet to determine the events surrounding the incident. For the last eight months, two video forensics experts have been tasked with re-evaluating the CCTV footage of Blanco as he fell from the balcony.
US video forensics analyst Grant Fredericks concluded that the footage is “very consistent with a person being carried and literally dropped over the edge of the balcony.”
Similarly, expert John Kennedy remarked: “There’s no defensive movement whatsoever. It’s literally a drop from outside the rail. The only explanation I can think of is that somebody might have dropped him off the balcony. He doesn’t climb over the railing himself. He doesn’t jump. He just suddenly appears outside the railing and falls.”
In reaction to the findings of the experts, Blanca’s mother, Sheila Blanco, has pledged to advocate for a renewed police investigation. She stated, “I think the whole case needs revisiting. The truth will out.”
by Wallace McTavish
