Toronto mayor Rob Ford appears on deleted video 'smoking from crack pipe'

Toronto's police chief said yesterday they have recovered a video deleted from a computer that appears to show Mayor Rob Ford smoking from a crack pipe.

Police chief Bill Blair said he was "disappointed" after viewing the video, but that there was nothing in the video that would provide grounds to press charges. Blair said the video would come out when Ford's friend and sometimes driver, Alexander Lisi, goes to trial on drug and extortion charges. Blair did not say who the computer belonged to or provide more details.

He said the video, recovered from a computer hard drive, "depicts images that are consistent with those previously reported in the press".

Ford faced allegations in May that he had been caught on video puffing from a glass crack pipe. Two reporters with the Toronto Star said they saw the video, but it has not been released publicly. Ford maintains he does not smoke crack and that the video does not exist.

Ford angrily yelled at reporters yesterday to get off his property before he left his house in the morning. He did not respond to questions shouted at him.

Police earlier released documents showing they had rummaged through Ford's garbage in search of evidence of drug use and that they conducted a massive surveillance operation monitoring the mayor and Lisi following the allegations.

In the documents, police said reports of the video triggered an investigation that led to several arrests and detailed evidence that led to Lisi's arrest on marijuana trafficking and possession charges.