Latest news with #drugsTest
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Iga Swiatek dishes out cold revenge on Danielle Collins as long-running ‘fake' feud fuels a ruthless Wimbledon masterclass, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
Danielle Collins labelled Iga Swiatek a 'fake' last summer and retribution was administered quite mercilessly across 75 minutes on Saturday afternoon. To use this two-set walloping as proof of Swiatek's authenticity as a contender on grass would be premature, but at the very least she was able to reduce a grudge match to a gentle stroll. In doing so, coldness prevailed. It prevailed at the coin toss, when Swiatek greeted Collins's smile with the stoniest of expressions, it prevailed when the eighth seed showed no concern for her opponent after a fall in the first set, and it prevailed in how she swatted away any efforts of a recovery in the second. Quite why they fell out in the first place remains a peculiar mystery. The basics are that Collins retired hurt from their quarter-final at the Paris Olympics and was consoled by Swiatek on the court, before matters escalated when the American accused the former world No 1 of being 'insincere' and 'fake'. Those were followed by Collins's cryptic allusions to Swiatek's behaviour in the locker room. If that was a dent on Swiatek's image, then it paled in significance to her failed drugs test last year, which led to a one-month ban in November after the authorities ruled it a case of accidental contamination. The knock-on effect has been a winless 2025 for Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, and no one sensible will have wagered on Wimbledon being the place where the streak is ended. But in reaching a fourth-round tie against the 22nd seed Clara Tauson, Swiatek is apparently finding comfort on her least preferred surface. Given Tauson's upset victory over world No 11 Elena Rybakina, there is no guarantee that Swiatek can match her best Wimbledon run and progress to the quarter-finals, but she is now operating on a distinctly open side of the draw. 'I am having a great time here,' she said after a 6-2, 6-3 demolition of Collins that was built on two breaks of the 31-year-old's serve in the first four games and a couple more in the second set. 'Honestly, it is much more fun this year,' Swiatek added. 'I had some practices where the ball was listening to me which is pretty new on grass and now I want it in the matches as well. It is a good experience. 'If it is listening, I don't need to do much.'
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Officer suspended over refusing to take a drugs test was on full pay for five years
A senior Metropolitan Police officer sacked for refusing to take a drugs test was on full pay for five years. Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. Allegations that he had taken LSD and magic mushrooms were found not to be proven. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a judicial review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. 'I am enormously concerned' Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Cmdr Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Cmdr Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to cooperate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Cmdr Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Cmdr Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met'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 chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
The Sun
03-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Senior police officer who wrote the Met's drugs strategy fired for second time after refusing to take drugs test
A SENIOR police officer has been fired for a second time after refusing to take a drugs test. Commander Julian Bennett last year successfully appealed against his initial dismissal in 2023. The Met then ordered a fresh misconduct hearing for his refusal to provide a urine sample in 2020. It again found him guilty of gross misconduct. The cop, on the force since 1976, had been suspended on full pay throughout the process. Met Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met's drugs strategy for 2017-21, titled Dealing With The Impact Of Drugs On Communities. 1
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Senior Met officer sacked for second time over refusing drugs test
A senior Metropolitan Police officer has been sacked by the force for a second time after refusing to take a drugs test. Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the Police Appeals Tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on July 21 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner Dame Cressida Dick. Following the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a Judicial Review but decided that Mr Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Mr Bennett was again found at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to co-operate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Mr Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy', adding: 'I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again.' Mr Bennett wrote the Met'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 chaired misconduct panels over several years and freedom of information requests showed he presided over 74 misconduct hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 officers being dismissed.
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Senior Met officer sacked for second time after refusing 2020 drugs test
A senior Metropolitan police officer has been sacked for a second time after refusing to take a drugs test. Commander Julian Bennett was initially dismissed by a misconduct panel in October 2023 over the incident, but took his case to the police appeals tribunal (PAT) in July last year and had his sacking overturned. He had been found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to provide a urine sample for a drugs test on 21 July 2020, which led to his suspension shortly afterwards. A panel found he had breached professional standards when he refused to provide the sample after being called in to do so in the presence of an assistant commissioner, instead offering to resign on the spot and asking for a meeting with then-commissioner, Cressida Dick. After the PAT's decision to revoke the dismissal, the Met considered a legal challenge by way of a judicial review but decided Bennett should face a fresh misconduct hearing last September. The allegation proven against Bennett was again found to be at the level of gross misconduct at the latest hearing. The officer, who served in the force from 1976, had remained suspended throughout the process and will now be added to the College of Policing's barred list. Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'I am enormously concerned that almost five years since this incident happened we have only now been able to dismiss Commander Bennett. 'This should have been a simple matter. Commander Bennett has never disputed he refused a lawful order to take a drugs test. 'As a senior officer who had chaired misconduct hearings, Commander Bennett was highly experienced and knew full well what was required of him, yet he made a choice not to cooperate. 'He has been suspended on full pay for an extraordinary length of time. I am sure Londoners will be as outraged as we are at the utter waste of public funds spent paying a senior officer to sit at home suspended and not work.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Twist said that 'while the Met is not responsible for all the delays in Commander Bennett's matter, we are also working hard to expedite cases and cut bureaucracy … I am confident a situation like Commander Bennett's prolonged case would not happen again'. Bennett wrote the Met'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 chaired misconduct panels over several years, and freedom of information requests showed he had presided over 74 hearings involving 90 officers between June 2010 and February 2012, leading to 56 being dismissed.
