New 'evidence' proves Mark Blanco's death was not an accident
by Gemma Collins THE family of actor Mark Blanco who plunged from a balcony during a party attended by druggie rocker Pete Doherty claimed today they have new proof that hi
THE family of actor Mark Blanco who plunged from a balcony during a party attended by druggie rocker Pete Doherty claimed today they have new proof that his death was not an accident.
Sheila Blanco who has been pursuing her own personal investigation into how her son fell from the first floor of a flat in Whitechapel in December 2006 revealed new information suggesting the 30-year-old could not have deliberately jumped.
And Mrs Blanco and her daughter Emma spoke of their "fight for justice" as they criticised police for the handling of Mark's case.
Speaking at a press conference which marked three years since her son's death, Mrs Blanco said: "The UK is not a third world country and I feel that anyone who dies in unexplained circumstances or who is critically injured in unexplained circumstances is worthy of a decent police investigation.
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"Mark did not receive that and we ask ourselves why."
The body of the Cambridge graduate was found on the pavement outside Paul Roundhill's flat in Romford Street, less than an hour after he had visited the flat to persuade Doherty to come to a play he was appearing in.
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Mark was thrown out after a bust-up but CCTV images show him returning to the flat and a few second later he fell more than 11ft.
Scotland Yard ruled out any foul play but reopened the case last year following a recommendation from the coroner who recorded an open verdict.
The family's barrister, Michael Wolkind QC, said officers found Mark had either jumped deliberately or he fell because of a "criminal act" but could not say which.
This prompted the family to pay for their own specialist reports on how Mark died, including a study by neurobiology expert Professor Richard Wassersug and an enquiry by Corrina Cory, an expert in Injury Biomechanics.
In his report Professor Wassersug said that if Mark had deliberately jumped he would not have sustained the head injuries that he did.
He concluded: "The two most likely explanations are that he was backed into the railing and pushed over, or that he was not conscious and was dropped over the railing.