LONDON, Dec. 19, 2007

Diana Witness Slams Paul's Driving

Fayed Staffer Recalls "Very Hairy Drive" Day Before Crash

  • In this handout photograph provided Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 by Press Association, the head of Princess of Wales, in the rear seat, her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, left, and driver Henri Paul are seen shortly before the car crash that killed Diana, her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver in Paris Aug. 31, 1997.

    In this handout photograph provided Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007 by Press Association, the head of Princess of Wales, in the rear seat, her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, left, and driver Henri Paul are seen shortly before the car crash that killed Diana, her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver in Paris Aug. 31, 1997.  (AP Photo/HO via PA)

(AP)  A second witness on Wednesday told the inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed about "fast and furious" driving by Henri Paul, who later drove the couple into a fatal Paris car crash.

Deborah Gribble, who worked as a stewardess on Fayed's yacht, spoke of what she said was a "very hairy drive" through Paris in a Range Rover driven by Paul the day before the crash that killed him along with Fayed and Diana.

"It was fast and furious," Gribble told jurors by video link from New Zealand. "I recall some swerving, changing lanes and that sort of thing."

Photos: Diana's Ill-Fated Journey
British and French police inquiries found Paul responsible for the Aug. 31, 1997 crash. They found evidence that his blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit and that he was speeding.

Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed, contends that the couple were the targets of a secret service plot orchestrated by Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

On Tuesday, a witness described Paul, the acting head of security at the Ritz Hotel, as "driving like a maniac" on the trip from airport.

"Henri Paul almost killed us, honest to God," said Myriah Daniels, a holistic healer and masseuse who was on the staff of Fayed's yacht. "He was driving way too fast and recklessly, and I was saying 'Slow down, slow down,' but nobody's listening and nobody's doing anything."

Photos: Diana Paparazzi Photos
Gribble also testified Wednesday that she saw an opened packet of contraceptive pills among Diana's belongings in the weeks before she died.

Several witnesses have dismissed claims by Mohamed Al Fayed that Diana was pregnant when she died, and that Dodi and the princess had decided to marry.

Inquests are required by British law when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or of unknown causes. This inquest, which began in October and is due to last into the new year, had been delayed for 10 years because of the two exhaustive investigations by French and British police.


© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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by jinxkity December 19, 2007 5:21 PM EST
The real ''killers'' here are the paparzzi. Since they can''t seem to police themselves it''s time for the laws to protect celebs. I''m all for laws that restrict pics and ''interviews'' to when the celebs want them. All others should be outlawed with heavy penalties including jail time for invasion of privacy. No more following them around just inches away from their faces. No more camping outside their residences. Enough is enough!
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by godseyesore-2009 December 19, 2007 3:42 PM EST
Can''t we leave Diana in peace? This continued sensationalist ''reporting'' is nothing but a text form of Paparazzi photos.
Get on with life, real news, world problems.
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