The case against singer Bruno Mars was dismissed after he completed a drug education programme

1:06pm UK, Thursday January 19, 2012

The cocaine possession case against Bruno Mars has been dismissed after he successfully completed court-ordered drug education classes and community service.

Las Vegas judge Jessie Walsh threw out the case after she heard Mars had exceeded the amount of hours he had been told to serve.

Mars, whose real name is Peter Hernandez, was arrested in September 2010 after a bathroom attendant at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel caught him with a "baggy of white powder".

This was later found to be cocaine and Mars pleaded guilty to a charge of possession, receiving a £1,300 fine and 200 hours of community service.

He was also ordered to undergo drug counselling and was told to stay out of trouble during a year of informal probation.

The 26-year-old could have faced up to four years in state prison.

But Mars performed all the requirements and exceeded the 200 hours of service so his original guilty plea was nullified and will not show up on his record.

His lawyer Blair Berk said the singer appreciated the chance as a first-time offender to have the charge dismissed.

"Bruno earned the dismissal. He exceeded the expectations of the court," Berk told reporters after the hearing.

Judge Walsh took over Mars' case after County Clark Deputy District Attorney David Schubert, who prosecuted Mars in 2011, was arrested for buying cocaine himself a few months later.

The singer hit the charts in 2010 after collaborating with rapper B.o.B on Nothin' On You and with Travie McCoy on Billionaire.

He is currently nominated in six categories at the upcoming Grammy Awards next month.