The Verdict of the Diana Inquest, April 2008

[ghost_night554]

I think that people are open to conspiracy theories because there have been real cover-ups in the past and there's a lot of conspiracy-based fiction out there. If a person reads enough murder mysteries and political thrillers, anything seems possible after awhile. I've read enough of them to know that a person can get into that did-he-fall-or-was-he-pushed way of thinking.

That's true, I've said this many times but I'm probably a little guilty of being the same way in the early stages of the inquest, I doubted every little piece of evidence, but soon I came to understand more about it and realized I was wrong all these years, this was no cover up and if it was they sure did a good job at it. lol

Okay, the family of Henri Paul, they must be disappointed but I thought the evidence about him having drunk two Ricards before he drove was enough to explain his part in the accident

I can't find the transcripts right now I can't remember what date it was but I beleive one the experts had said that by the time of the crash the 2 Ricards would have been out of his system. If it was one of the people Fayed hired though I take it back. But anyways I get the point your trying to make I just wanted to point that out ....for some odd reason.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by Al_bina

I truly feel sorry only for Mr.Paul's family. He will be known as a drunk driver, who contributed to Princess Diana's death. This may not be true.

Al Bina, it's a definate fact that he "contributed" to Diana's death. He drove that car after all! Was he responsible for the crash? Well, that's another question. But it's a fact that he had a history of drinking, even though he seemed to be able to handle it and it's a fact that he had two Ricards. I've written about the topic of alcohol for more than 20 years, so have heard numerous opinions and about lots and lots of personal experience. What could have been the case is that he had been sober for some time in order to pass his test for his pilot's license and then started to drink as he was used to, not realising that the ability of his brain to adapt to the results of having alcohol in his blood had changed. That's a often seen sign that people who have been drinking for a time, stopped and started again don't know anymore how to "hold their drink". In a case like this two Ricards could be too much. And he drank these, no doubt about it, as there is CCTV proof. And how do we know that it was just the normal amount of Ricard in the drink? One witness said he believed it was "pineapple juice". Now for Ricard to look anything like pineapple juice, you need much larger quantities of the spirit and much less water than in a normal 4&1 - One part Ricard to 4 parts water. So for me the fact that he was drunk and drove is proven by the fact that he had those two drinks.

[ghost_night554]

^I wanted to make a point here before I started saying what I want to ask, I repeat myself in my posts alot so please forgive me for that. Anyways as I said in my post above why do I remember someone saying during the inquest the Ricards he drank would have been out of his system by the time the crash occured. I think didn't the Pagat report say that the pilot test he took days before did not test him for alcohol levels?

[Skydragon]

Fayed persists in his assertation that they were murdered and he believes the verdict proves it

And this gives me great satisfaction because it proved my point that my son and Diana were murdered.

Burrell faces police perjury inquiry as Fayed ends his Diana campaign 'to spare Harry and Wills' | the Daily Mail

Today, a Scotland Yard spokesman said: "There is a complaint that has been received. "In view of the complaint received, the Metropolitan Police Service has a duty to look at whether Paul Burrell should be considered for perjury

Great!!!!

Diana: Mohamed Al Fayed Abandons Quest To Prove Princess And Dodi Were Murdered |Sky News|UK News
But he maintained he still believed his son and the princess were murdered and said the inquest backed up his belief.
"I'm a father who has lost his son and I've done everything for 10 years. But now with the verdict I accept it, but with reservations

[tinkerbell1948]

I am surprised he has decided not to pursue it, but then I saw him on the news tonight, a tired and defeated old man.This has consumed his life for the last 10 + years and he is 77 now

I wonder if his lawyers persuaded him to let it go. He has of course twisted the verdict into something he finds acceptable without actually admitting defeat, that the "unlawful killing" is because of the unnamed cars and drivers still in his mind ordered at the behest of the RF to make sure that Diana died

[LadyCat]

I am also surprised (and relieved) Fayad has decided to leave it alone. The verdict contained no surprises. Though he may read "murder" into "unlawful killing", the verdict was pretty much just what most of us expected -- basically a tragic accident caused by a drunk driver, lack of use of seat belts and exacerbated by the pursuing paps.

I do wish Burrell was facing perjury charges, just so we could get that pesky little person out of our country. But that, alas, remains only a dream. If you're going to have a dream might as well make it a big one.

Cat

[Al_bina]

Originally Posted by Jo of Palatine

Al Bina, it's a definate fact that he "contributed" to Diana's death. He drove that car after all! Was he responsible for the crash? Well, that's another question. But it's a fact that he had a history of drinking, even though he seemed to be able to handle it and it's a fact that he had two Ricards. I've written about the topic of alcohol for more than 20 years, so have heard numerous opinions and about lots and lots of personal experience. What could have been the case is that he had been sober for some time in order to pass his test for his pilot's license and then started to drink as he was used to, not realising that the ability of his brain to adapt to the results of having alcohol in his blood had changed. That's a often seen sign that people who have been drinking for a time, stopped and started again don't know anymore how to "hold their drink". In a case like this two Ricards could be too much. And he drank these, no doubt about it, as there is CCTV proof. And how do we know that it was just the normal amount of Ricard in the drink? One witness said he believed it was "pineapple juice". Now for Ricard to look anything like pineapple juice, you need much larger quantities of the spirit and much less water than in a normal 4&1 - One part Ricard to 4 parts water. So for me the fact that he was drunk and drove is proven by the fact that he had those two drinks.

Thanks for the explanation. Mr. Paul might have contributed to the accident to a certain extent. However, it is impossible for me to determine the extent of his contribution to the accident with any degree of certainty because of poor evidence handling and mix up of blood samples. Any car accident requires too many uncontrollable factors to be reliable. So I doubt that deaths of Princess Diana and others were anything but an accident. At the same time, I do not exclude the possibility of assassination plot. As Stalin used to say, "No person, no problem".

[allthingsdiana]

I think that Fayed proably will try to come to terms with the verdict.
Losing some one you love is never easy especially if it is your child you carry alot of guilt and tons of what ifs and i feel sorry for the man.
I never losta child but i watch my grand mother grieve for my mother when she passed away at 35 for 23 years. The death of a child haunts the parent til their dying day. I dont blame him for trying to find out if it really was murder. But I do hope that he find some kind of peace. People need to remember that he is a parent that lost a child so he is going to do alot of things that dont make sense to the rest of us. I wonder if the Spencers were the ones who were pressing for the inquest if the remarks would be different.
May Diana and Dodi rest in peace.
Dani

[HRH Kerry]

Originally Posted by tinkerbell1948

I am surprised he has decided not to pursue it, but then I saw him on the news tonight, a tired and defeated old man.This has consumed his life for the last 10 + years and he is 77 now

I wonder if his lawyers persuaded him to let it go. He has of course twisted the verdict into something he finds acceptable without actually admitting defeat, that the "unlawful killing" is because of the unnamed cars and drivers still in his mind ordered at the behest of the RF to make sure that Diana died

I am also surprised. Regardless, I hope he can have some type of closure and "begin" his life again.

[georgiea]

Originally Posted by Al_bina

Thanks for the explanation. Mr. Paul might have contributed to the accident to a certain extent. However, it is impossible for me to determine the extent of his contribution to the accident with any degree of certainty because of poor evidence handling and mix up of blood samples. Any car accident requires too many uncontrollable factors to be reliable. So I doubt that deaths of Princess Diana and others were anything but an accident. At the same time, I do not exclude the possibility of assassination plot. As Stalin used to say, "No person, no problem".

TOTALLY agree with you AL_bina. I wonder why the coroner, Mr Baker, gave specific rulings for the jury to decide this inquest?

But, I am glad that Mohammed al Fayed as given up his quest and MAYBE have a life now. I know it hurt his family life, the two princes, and the Spencers family.

[georgiea]

Originally Posted by allthingsdiana

I think that Fayed proably will try to come to terms with the verdict.
Losing some one you love is never easy especially if it is your child you carry alot of guilt and tons of what ifs and i feel sorry for the man.
I never losta child but i watch my grand mother grieve for my mother when she passed away at 35 for 23 years. The death of a child haunts the parent til their dying day. I dont blame him for trying to find out if it really was murder. But I do hope that he find some kind of peace. People need to remember that he is a parent that lost a child so he is going to do alot of things that dont make sense to the rest of us. I wonder if the Spencers were the ones who were pressing for the inquest if the remarks would be different.
May Diana and Dodi rest in peace.
Dani

Sorry for your lost allthingsdiana. I agree with your statement about Mr. al Fayed. I think the Princes and the Spencers wanted it to be over earlier.

[Mermaid1962]

I know very little about UK Law, but I'm guessing that he gave the jury the options that were available because of the evidence that was presented.

Originally Posted by georgiea

TOTALLY agree with you AL_bina. I wonder why the coroner, Mr Baker, gave specific rulings for the jury to decide this inquest?

[Lakshmi]

Originally Posted by georgiea

TOTALLY agree with you AL_bina. I wonder why the coroner, Mr Baker, gave specific rulings for the jury to decide this inquest?

But, I am glad that Mohammed al Fayed as given up his quest and MAYBE have a life now. I know it hurt his family life, the two princes, and the Spencers family.

I also think it is good for Al Fayed to give up digging into this tragedy. He is a man going through a terrible pain. I never blamed him for believing in conspiracy theories. He was just a father that couldn't go over death of his son. Of course I always believed it was just tragic accident, that's it. It is better for everybody to have life again and peace.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by georgiea

TOTALLY agree with you AL_bina. I wonder why the coroner, Mr Baker, gave specific rulings for the jury to decide this inquest?

IMHO it has to do with the fact that while the jury is there to decide, the coroner is the person appointed to act as the neutral expert in order to help and guide them. To make sure that the verdict is based on facts and not on opinion alone, the coroner checks the evidence and selects those possibilities of a verdict that are supported by evidence. Murder was, as anyone who followed the inquest and read the transcripts, not a possibility, because there really was absolutely no evidence brought forward.

I have no doubt on observing the way the coroner handled all kind of upcoming information that he was as interested in exploring all venues opening up as were Fayed's lawyers. Because if there had been a plot at all, not only Fayed would be interested but the princes and Diana's family and friends as well. But there wasn't anything - all claims when thoroughly invested by French and British police turned out to be nightmarish fantasies on Fayed's side. And the witnesses Fayed brought up either hadn't to say anything that was helpful or even lied.

So it was the coroner's duty to help the jury and select the possible verdicts that could be based on evidence presented in the court. They then had to review this evidence and decided which weighted most. They decided that the evidence about Henri Paul drinking was strong enough to accuse him of unlawful killing. They decided that the harassment by the paparazzi was significant in causing the accidents. But as there was no evidence of a murde plot, they couldn't decide that it was murder.

I hope it's clearer now.

[judith14011]

The pain of the parents - Henri Paul's mother and Al Fayed allowed the clear facts of this matter to be muddled and questioned. It reminded me of the OJ Simpson trial here 10 plus years ago. Facts are facts. Paul was drunk. Dodi insisted on showing off his power to Diana and with the help of his father, killed himself, Paul and the Princess. Diana was gulity of poor judgment in trusting the Al Fayed's.

[LadyCat]

It appears there will be an investigation into Burrell's alleged perjury after all. It seems a member of the public sent a complaint to the police. Hmmmm Now would that have been BeatrixFan or Skydragon??????

BBC NEWS | UK | Police to probe Burrell 'perjury'

Paul Burrell: Police launch perjury investigation into testimony at Diana inquest - Telegraph

Paul Burrell Flogs tat | Dodges perjury inquest questions | The Sun |HomePage|News|Royals

Unfortunately he won't be facing extradition according to one of the articles. It will be interesting to see if he does the right thing and returns to London to answer these charges.

Cat

[NotAPretender]

God bless those in authority who patiently waded through this mound of evidence, non-evidence, innuendo and passionate beliefs.

God bless those who tried to save lives in the tunnel that night - and who continue to save lives every day as first responders.

God bless Mr. Al-Fayed - I hope he finds peace at some point.