Diana’s former lover on bail after arrest for cocaine possession

JAMES Hewitt, former lover of Princess Diana, was bailed by police yesterday after being arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine.

The 46-year-old former English army officer left Notting Hill police station in west London after spending a night in the cells. TV and radio presenter Alison Bell, 37, who is accused of supplying the drug to Hewitt was also bailed until September.

The pair were both arrested at the Cactus Blue bar in Chelsea, west London, last night.

Jack Westhead, a spokesman for Maxwell’s Restaurant Group, later issued a statement on the incident at the bar. “We can confirm that James Hewitt was present at Cactus Blue during the early part of yesterday evening. He took an outside table,” he said.

“We understand from our inquiries that he was later arrested at or around 8.20pm, having left the premises. We would like to stress that Cactus Blue adheres to a strict zero tolerance policy on drug-taking on our premises.”

Asked if Mr Hewitt was a regular, he said: “He has been in here before. I wouldn’t describe him as a regular.”

Asked if the alleged incident had taken place in the bar’s toilet, he said: “That is certainly not my understanding.”

Mr Hewitt had been at the bar for around an hour-and-a-half in the early part of the evening and the incident took place outside the premises, Mr Westhead said. Asked if Mr Hewitt would now be barred, he said that would depend on the outcome of the police investigation. He would not comment on other celebrity drinkers who came to the bar but said: “There have been famous faces present here in the past, but I think we’d like to respect the confidentiality of our guests.”

Asked about Mr Hewitt’s behaviour during the evening, he said: “There were no reports that he was abusive at all. There was nothing untoward from that point of view.” He had not been reported to the police by a member of staff, Mr Westhead said.

Mr Westhead said bar staff had not been contacted by the police but would co-operate if necessary. Mr Hewitt and Ms Bell were arrested at around 9pm last night. Police were tipped off by another customer and swooped on the bar.

A source said the former Army major was “rolling drunk” when officers arrested him and took him to Notting Hill police station.

“He was out of it, almost on the floor,” one source said. Mr Hewitt spent the night sobering up before speaking to detectives yesterday.

He was required to give his fingerprints and a DNA sample. If convicted of the offence he has been arrested for - possession of a Class A drug - he will face a possible jail sentence of up to seven years. Ms Bell was arrested on suspicion of supplying a Class A drug, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Hewitt met her when they presented a radio show together.