Coroner Butler-Sloss shatters hopes for a fair trial
January 2007
"Shocking but predictable" was Mr Al Fayed’s reaction to today’s decision by Lady Butler-Sloss to dispense with a jury and to transfer jurisdiction of the inquest into the death of his son, Dodi Al Fayed to herself as Deputy Coroner for the Royal Household. "The cover up continues" he said.
At a hearing on Monday 8th January 2007, lawyers representing Mr Al Fayed had argued that public confidence, openness and transparency demanded that jurisdiction be transferred away from Lady Butler-Sloss as Deputy Coroner for the Royal Household and that all of the evidence be heard by a jury of ordinary people. Similar arguments were put forward by the parents of the deceased driver, Henri Paul. "Over 90% of the people of this country support me, and democracy requires that a jury hears all the evidence." All those arguments have been rejected.
Today's decision means that both inquests will now be heard together, probably at the Royal Courts of Justice in London and that any findings or decisions about the means and circumstances in which Dodi Al Fayed and Princess Diana died will be made solely by Lady Butler-Sloss.
"Privately, I feared the worst when the former Coroner, Michael Burgess, was pushed aside and a retired, Establishment, High Court Judge was put in instead" said Mr Al Fayed.
"When she then approved and supported the unprecedented decision to publish at a televised press conference Lord Stevens deeply flawed crime report before even I, my lawyers, and other interested parties had been given an opportunity to read it, I knew that the fix was in and the cover up continued, no doubt to satisfy the demands of the Royal Family and the Establishment. I am sure her next step will be to prevent most of the relevant evidence even being heard at the inquests."
“ Worst of all is that she has made these decisions knowing that Princess Diana herself predicted an attempt on her life and that Scotland Yard was aware of this following a meeting with her solicitor, Lord Mischon, as early as October 1997. They buried it, not even informing the Judge conducting the French investigation. Lady Butler-Sloss's most recent decision clearly continues the Establishment policy of cover-up. It is extraordinary and bizarre that, in order to achieve this, the Deputy Coroner will deal with my son’s inquest as if he had been a member of the Royal Household. Even Princess Diana had been thrown out of the Royal Household before her death. Now they treat them both as if they were part of the Royal Household, just to stop the truth emerging. ”
The 34 page decision is now with lawyers for Mr Al Fayed for review. "For the past ten years I have fought to expose the truth about these murders; I do not intend to give up now. The public, and in particular, a jury of ordinary people must hear all the evidence, in front of an independent and fair minded Coroner. I have instructed my lawyers to take all possible steps towards achieving this. If that means that the Deputy Coroner for the Royal Household can no longer hear the two inquests, so be it."
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