LONDON, Oct 8 (KUNA) — A British court was convening in Paris Monday as the jury in the Princess Diana inquest retraces her last tragic journey, it was announced here.
The 11 jurors, who began hearing evidence on the death of the Princess and her friend Dodi Fayed in London last week, are set to visit the Pont de l’Alma tunnel to see the spot where the Mercedes car the couple were travelling in crashed ten years ago, the British media said.
The now-world famous underpass is one of a series of sites across the French capital which the jury will see on a two-day trip to familiarise themselves with the setting for the evidence they will hear over the next six months.
They are set to visit the Ritz Hotel, where the couple dined before setting out on the disastrous journey on August 31, 1997, as well as the hospital where the dying Princess was taken after the crash.
Opening the inquest at the High Court, in central London, last week, the coroner Lord Scott Baker told the jury they would be retracing the couple’s final journey after dark.
But the exact itinerary for the trip is being kept strictly secret by court officials to minimise the risk of jurors being identified or the high-profile case causing unnecessary disruption to the city.
The jury is being flown on a charter jet and will stay at an undisclosed location in Paris.
Last Thursday, Lord Scott Baker issued a direct plea to the media not to reveal where the panel is staying, should they find out.
Acknowledging that the court would be sitting outside its formal jurisdiction, he said the visit would be dependent on the goodwill of the press and public.
French police will be creating a security cordon around the “court” to prevent unnecessary interference.
But in a highly unusual move, some cameras will be allowed inside the cordon to provide some television footage of the event because of the massive public interest in Britain and around the world.
While footage is likely to show the coroner and lawyers, nothing which identifies any of the jurors will be broadcast.
In a plea to both British and foreign media, the coroner said “These 11 people are performing an important public duty under considerable pressure. They are not doing so of their choice, but because they are required to do so.” “So I ask all media to act responsibly and with care in relation to the jury and to take every precaution to avoid any broadcast or publication of any image which might either deliberately or inadvertently allow any juror to be identified.” Official “interested parties” in the case, such as relatives of the couple, are also allowed to attend.
But it is understood neither Major Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who has been representing Dianas two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry’s interests at the hearings, nor Dodi’s father, Mohamed al Fayed, will be there in person.