The mother of a man who fell to his death at a party with Pete Doherty has implored police to get justice for her son as they review the case 20 years on.
Mark Blanco, 30, died during a drug-fuelled gathering with the Babyshambles star in December 2006 and the case has never been resolved despite his mum Sheila's relentless fight for justice.
She had previously called for an outside force to be brought in to examine the Metropolitan Police's handling of the investigation but none could be found. Sheila had a meeting with two senior officers to discuss her Victims' Right to Review last week.
Police urged to consult experts
Speaking outside Scotland Yard she told the Daily Mirror: "In this year, the twentieth anniversary of Mark's tragic death, I implore the police to consult all the necessary experts and use the means available to them to secure justice for Mark."
"Mark was generous in life and in death, saving the lives of three men by organ donation. I have been trying for the last 20 years to get the police to classify my son's death as murder."
Sheila's lawyer Mike Schwarz, of Hodge Jones & Allen, said: "We hope that the police will review the statements and accounts given by suspects and reinterview them where necessary and decide whether that provides sufficient further evidence to reopen the case and if appropriate charge those responsible. The police could, and should, ask everyone at the flat what took place."
Documentary suggests murder
It comes three years after a Channel 4 documentary Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son? suggested Mark had been murdered after an FBI expert claimed he was thrown to his death.
A 2007 inquest heard Mark had been kicked out of the London "crack den" during a row with Doherty, his literary agent Paul Roundhill and minder Johnny "Headlock" Jeannevol.
Mark returned two minutes later before somehow falling to his death from a balcony.
Police investigated and suggested the Cambridge graduate's death was suicide, which a coroner rejected and called for them to reopen the case.
The inquest heard that Jeannevol had confessed to police that he pushed Mark off but retracted it, saying he was high on cocaine when he made it, and was released without charge.
Doherty has previously denied any knowledge of how Mark died but admitted running away from the scene to avoid the police because he had drugs.
FBI instructor's analysis
FBI instructor Grant Fredericks told the Channel 4 film that his belief after analysis of CCTV was that Mark was "thrown over the balcony".
Sheila said: "There was a confession to his murder and the police seemed to look the other way. Throughout the 20 years, there has been nothing but apathy by the police and above all, I would like to know why."
"It's been an ongoing battle. We know that Mark was beaten up. We know that he was punched in the face several times by Roundhill and we know that his clothes were torn. I think he was thrown over, maybe conscious, maybe not conscious. The first investigation underpins the whole thing and it was laughable."
Roundhill told the inquest that he punched Mark repeatedly on the evening he died.
In October 2023, a month after the Channel Four documentary aired, Doherty said that he needed to get in touch with Sheila because "she believes that I killed her son" and the story is "just not going to go away". He admitted there was "a bit of friction between us", adding: "We all had an altercation with Marco Blanco. There was pushing and shoving. The next thing he's on the floor and his skull's cracked open."
Asked if she was confident the police would get to the bottom of the case, Sheila said: "They were understanding, we will wait and see."
A Met Police spokesperson said: "Following the conclusion of the latest police investigation into Mark's death, his family requested a victim's right to review process.
"Detectives will now review aspects of the investigations previously carried out to ensure certain lines of enquiry have been explored to their full conclusion.
"We hope this will help provide Mark's family with answers to their concerns.
"Our thoughts remain with them, and they will be kept fully updated on our progress."
