Aftermath News

Telegraph | Apr 9, 2008

By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter

Gordon Brown has put pressure on Mohamed Fayed not to challenge the findings of the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, saying he does not want to see a “re-run” of the six-month hearing.

Mr Fayed maintains that the Princess was murdered by MI6 and does not accept the inquest jury’s verdict that she was killed unlawfully through the gross negligence of the paparazzi who followed her car before it crashed in 1997 and of its driver, Henri Paul.

The Harrods boss, who is unhappy that the coroner did not give the jury the option of deciding that the Princess and his son Dodi died in a “staged” accident, spent Tuesday in talks with lawyers “to see if there’s anything more that can be done”.

He refused to rule out applying for the verdicts to be set aside and a new inquest held, but the Prime Minister said it was time to “draw a line” under the tragedy.

He said: “I think the Princes, William and Harry, have spoken for the whole country when they say it is time to bring this to an end.

“I believe also that our security services, who have co-operated with the inquiry to the fullest, have or would continue to be diverted from the important work they do if we had to have another re-run of this. So I think it’s important we draw a line.”

The former bodyguard Trevor Rees, the sole survivor of the crash in the Alma tunnel in Paris, also called on Mr Fayed to give up his legal fight, saying: “I agree with the jury’s verdict, and welcome the end of the inquest process. I hope that this now represents a point from which everyone involved can move on.”

Mr Rees was singled out for praise by Princes William and Harry in a statement which followed Monday’s verdicts. They thanked him for giving evidence despite the “painful” memories it would have brought back for him.

Asked about Mr Rees’s requests for people to “move on”, Mr Fayed said: “Don’t you think I do? Don’t you think I do? This last six months has been like going through a very, very dark tunnel and the whole of the last 10 years has been terrible.

“Of course we all want to move on but I think there can be no untied up loose ends, but all we’re doing today is trying to see if there is anything more that can be done.”

Mr Fayed had said under oath at the inquest that he would accept the jury’s verdicts, but his spokesman said he made that promise before the coroner barred the jury from considering the possibility that MI6 agents staged the accident.

His spokesman, Katharine Witty, said Mr Fayed was aware of the Prime Minister’s comments but would continue to reflect on the verdicts with his lawyers, possibly for several days.

“He is well aware that there is pressure to draw a line under this, and he takes that seriously,” she said.

“But he has to do what he thinks is right.”