Diana pregnancy 'cannot be proved'
Diana and Dodi al-Fayed in CCTV footage shown to the inquest today
Also In The News
|
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has backed manager Rafael Benitez's controversial policy of rotating his team on a game-by-game basis. |  |
Wednesday, 03, Oct 2007 06:39
The coroner presiding over the inquest into the death of Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed has said the disputed matter of whether Diana was pregnant when she died will never be proved either way.
Lord Justice Scott Baker made the observation in his opening remarks to the jury this morning.
He said the issue of Diana's pregnancy was important because it is alleged to have provided a motive for the alleged murder of the couple and a reason for the French authorities to embalm her body - "to conceal that she was pregnant".
"It is likely that pregnancy is not a matter that can be proved one way or the other in scientific terms in this case. You will of course consider the scientific evidence, such as it is, but you will also hear evidence from several sources about what Diana had to say to her friends as well as intimate details of her personal life," he said.
The complex inquest, which is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, will also examine the presence of British secret service agents in Paris at the time of her death.
Lord Justice Baker said they probably had "bigger fish to fry" than tracking "the movements of dignitaries".
On the questioned soberness of the driver in the crash, Henri Paul, Lord Justice Baker said the jury would have to consider whether there were any "sinister implications" about two different results of searches of his home for alcohol.
He acknowledged that Mr Paul "did not display signs of intoxication even when he had consumed more alcohol than usual" but pointed out that friends often described him as "convivial" but rarely drunk.
Whether Dodi's father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, is correct in his assertions that the couple had selected an engagement ring were also brought before the court.
"There is conflicting evidence about the ring and you will have to consider carefully whether the evidence as a whole supports Mr Al-Fayed's view," Lord Justice Baker said.
In the afternoon session the inquest studied extensive CCTV footage tracking the pair's movements on the day of their fatal crash.
Lord Justice Baker concluded: "You decide the case on the evidence you hear. Nothing else matters, and that includes anyone else's views, including mine.
"At the end of it all, you will be faced with the overriding question of whether what happened was anything more than a tragic road accident."
To watch CCTV footage viewed by the inquest today, click here