Police drop case against performer
POLICE have abandoned the case against the performer Todd McKenney nearly seven months after charging him with possessing the party drug fantasy.
McKenney, a radio and television host who is playing the drag queen Mitzi in Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert, was not in court for the brief hearing, when the prosecution withdrew a charge of possessing an illegal substance.
It is understood police were advised they would not be able to prove to a jury that McKenney knew he had the drugs.
They issued a statement yesterday saying that "the prospect of a conviction is remote" and they would not be pursuing the case.
McKenney, 43, had been scheduled to undergo a two-day trial this week.
McKenney's lawyer, John North, said: "He's been juggling not only this matter but trying to fulfil three major professional engagements a week, so it's very good for him that what he's always said from day one has been shown to be true."
McKenney is one of the hosts of Dancing With The Stars on Channel Seven and has a breakfast show on FM radio.
He was charged on Anzac Day, when police found him unconscious in Rushcutters Bay Park.
He was revived by paramedics but denied knowledge of a vial of gamma hydroxybutyrate, known as GHB or fantasy, found by police in his pants pocket. Police were unable to interview him at the time, but charged him with possessing the drug.
When McKenney later did a police interview, he said he had been at a Potts Point party, had taken his pants off to have a shower and had spent some time in a pair of shorts before changing back into his pants and leaving.
He said somebody must have put the vial in his pants and that his drink must have been spiked.
McKenney was in Melbourne when the charge was dropped and refused to comment. His management put out a statement that reiterated that he had maintained his innocence during the police investigation. The result was an "appropriate outcome", it said.