/ 7 April 2008

Princess Diana unlawfully killed, says inquest jury

Princess Diana and her lover, Dodi al-Fayed, were unlawfully killed by the grossly negligent driving of chauffeur Henri Paul and paparazzi photographers pursuing their limousine into a Paris road tunnel in 1997.

The jury, which had spent almost six months listening to more than 250 witnesses from around the world, reached their majority decision on Monday after deliberating for four days.

Diana and Dodi died in August 1997 when their Mercedes limousine crashed in a Paris road tunnel whilst being pursued by paparazzi photographers.

The inquest, estimated to have cost up to $20-million, stretched around the globe with witnesses heard by videolink from France, the United States, Nigeria, Kenya and Australia.

It was delayed for 10 years because Britain had to wait for the French legal process and then a British police investigation to run their course before it could begin.

Both police inquiries concluded the fatal crash was a tragic accident caused by the chauffeur being drunk and driving too fast.

Under British law, an inquest is needed to determine the cause of death when someone dies unnaturally. — Reuters