Pete Doherty has insisted he “did not kill” aspiring actor Mark Blanco the night he fell from a balcony.
Mark, 30, fell from a property in Whitechapel, east London, where the Libertines leader, 45, had attended a party in December 2006.
Rock star Pete has previously denied any knowledge of how Mark died, but admitted fleeing the scene to avoid an encounter with police over drug possession.
And speaking to Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4 young again On Tuesday’s show, Pete insisted he “didn’t kill” the actor and shared his frustration with people who weren’t there questioning the events of the night.
“It’s really frustrating for me, because the facts are in dispute, but no one was there,” he said.
‘I didn’t throw him out of a window, off a balcony, I didn’t kill him. What do you want me to tell you?
Pete Doherty has insisted he ‘did not kill’ aspiring actor Mark Blanco on the night he fell to his death from a balcony (pictured in 2023)
Speaking to Kirsty Young on BBC Radio 4’s Young Again show on Tuesday, Pete (pictured in 2005) said he “didn’t kill” the actor.
CCTV footage from the night in question showed Pete, with his girlfriend Kate Russell-Pavier, 19, and his “caretaker” Jonathan Jeannevol, known locally as “Johnny Headlock”, walking past the body and then fleeing the scene.
During a Channel 4 documentary ‘Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son?’ which aired in 2023, the dramatic video was seen by Mark’s mother, Sheila Blanco.
She said: ‘This is a crucial piece of evidence. I choose not to see him too often, because it’s the last time Mark was alive. It shows Mark being thrown over the railing and then straight onto the bricks and pavement below.
‘A couple of minutes later we see Pete Doherty come down, passing over Mark without stopping. And then he appears to pick something up off the ground and run away, followed by Headlock. “It is an absolutely insensitive and reprehensible lack of humanity.”
Speaking on Louis Theroux’s podcast, Pete admitted he ran away on the fatal night Mark lost his life.
While he denied any knowledge of how the actor fell or whether he was pushed from the balcony of an east London apartment, he described the incident as “shady and f***ed up”.
Appearing on Louis’ Interview series, Pete opened up about the incident and confessed that he believes Mark’s mother Sheila’s anger was “misplaced.”
The rock star, who recently revealed all about his brutal drug addiction in a new documentary, admitted he regretted going on the run but fled the scene for fear of being arrested for possession of class A drugs.
Mark Blanco is pictured with his mother Sheila on his graduation day at Cambridge in June 1997.
Pete admitted that he ran away the night Mark fell to his death and described the incident as “shady and fucked up” during an interview with Louis Theroux (pictured in 2004).
He told the journalist: ‘You can’t blame her for that. His son fell to his death and I think some people genuinely believe he was thrown to his death. And then I’m in front of the camera running away.
‘I have never met Sheila Blanco, but I can understand her anger. I think his anger towards me is misplaced.
Sadly, Mark died in hospital from head injuries a day after being found under the balcony of Pete’s literary agent and friend, Paul Roundhill.
“No one knows what happened because no one saw it. I certainly didn’t see it,” Pete added.
“I probably should have stood my ground, taken a deep breath and had the damn balls to stand there, flush everything down the toilet and be there when the police came.
But I didn’t want to see the police. It was a huge inconvenience for me and it’s a horrible thing to say. He’s dying on the street and I was worried I’d get arrested for possession.
Pete has put his turbulent past behind him and now lives in Normandy with his partner Katia de Vidas and their six-month-old daughter Billie-May.
Pete told the reporter he was sorry he ran away, but fled the scene for fear of being arrested for possession of class A drugs.
Pete has put his turbulent past behind him and now lives in Normandy with his partner Katia de Vidas and their six-month-old daughter Billie-May.
talking to NME On Wednesday, Pete shared that he had always wanted a family, but never thought it would be a reality for him.
‘I always wanted a close-knit family that I would be there with and for her. I’m also married and settled in many ways I guess, maybe I’m wrong.
‘I mean, that’s what a lot of people want, right? In fact? That kind of nest and a loving environment.
‘I don’t know if I dared to dream that it was possible. I think at that time, the turn of the century, the year 2025 seemed very far away.