Senior gay London police officer appears in court on drugs charges
A senior London police officer who was awarded an MBE for his services to diversity is appearing in court today to face charges of possessing Class A drugs.
Chief Inspector Paul Cahill, who broke barriers when he appeared on the cover of Gay Times magazine in full uniform in 1997, was awarded an MBE for his diversity work in the 2003 New Year Honours.
(An image of the Gay Times cover featuring Cahill was removed from this article at the request of Gay Times magazine)
He was arrested on December 1 last year, after he was found slumped over the wheel of his car in Wandsworth.
He today appears before Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, and is accused of possessing Class A, B and C drugs.
Cahill remains suspended from the Metropolitan Police while he faces the charges.
After joining the police in 1990, Cahill said it was “virtually not acceptable to be gay”, and later appeared on the cover of Gay Times in his sergeant’s uniform.
The victim of a homophobic attack, Cahill was the chairman of the Gay Police Association for more than ten years and worked as an LGBT liaison officer in Soho.
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