Princess Diana inquest rules her death as an “unlawful killing”
The inquest into the death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 returned a verdict of unlawful killing on Monday, blaming “grossly negligent” driving by her chauffeur and pursuing photographers for the car wreck.
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.
Coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker, holding the inquest into the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, had earlier Monday told the 11 jurors that he would accept a verdict if nine of them agreed. The jury had been deliberating since last Wednesday, April 2nd.
The jury’s first task was to decide whether French investigators got it right within days of Diana’s death when they concluded that her speeding driver, Henri Paul, was drunk. What do you think of the Diana inquest verdict?
The second issue for the six women and five men was whether the paparazzi who chased the princess around Paris bore a heavy responsibility for the deaths.
On both counts their answer was yes.
Baker also told the jury last week to consider whether Diana and Fayed would have lived if they were wearing seat belts and whether Diana would have survived had she been taken to the hospital faster.
The jury decided that the fact that the couple were not wearing seatbelts was a contributory factor.
After the verdict had been returned, Lord Stevens, who investigated the crash for the British police during an earlier inquiry, said it had been an unprecedented inquest and that he hoped that those killed would now be allowed to rest.
WENN
