'You Nazi b******s killed my Dodi'

02.03.07

Mr al Fayed has won a ruling overturning deputy royal coroner Baroness Butler-Sloss's decision

Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed declared his son Dodi had been killed by "Nazi b******s", just minutes after a judge ruled the inquest into his death would be heard by a jury.

A sensational High Court ruling means that Mr Fayed will 'get his day in court' and put his extraordinary allegations to 12 members of the public.

Also see

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• After 10 years, Fayed finally has a victory

The decision prompted an outburst from the Harrods chairman in which he demanded that Prince Philip and Charles be called to give evidence. "This country is ruled by donkeys. They are gangsters and murderers and Nazi bastards who killed my son," he said.

He said of the ruling: "I am very happy. It means we have got an ordinary jury."

A £4 million report last year concluded the 1997 car crash was an accident caused by chauffeur Henri Paul being drunk and driving too fast through a Paris underpass while being pursued by paparazzi.

But Mr Fayed maintains the couple were murdered and claims their deaths were part of a plot by the British establishment worried that Diana was to have a Muslim child with Dodi. He has specifically singled out Prince Philip.

In emotional scenes outside the High Court, Mr Fayed accused Mr Paul, who was also killed in the crash, of working for MI6.

He also said Tony Blair was aware that Diana, 36, and Dodi, 42, were murdered. He said: "I want Charles and Philip together in the court. These are the people who ordered the murder.

"I am certain when we see all the evidence and all the proof their (the jury's) judgment will come definitely and approve my belief.

"How can this happen in a great country? Our politicians are like zombies. Tony Blair himself knows what happened to Diana and my son."

The inquest before a jury could start in May. Today's ruling overturns a decision by Lady Butler-Sloss who wanted to hear the inquest alone.

It could also pave the way for further curbs on sections of the media, including a possible privacy law.

The decision will be a further blow for the royal family who had hoped the conspiracy theories would die down following December's report by former Met chief Lord Stevens which said the crash was simply a tragic accident.

During the hearing of Mr Fayed's application, the judges were told there was an "eerie similarity" between the paparazzi pursuit of the Princess and their recent "hounding" of her son Prince William's girlfriend Kate Middleton.

The judges said: "It is likely that there will be a recurrence of the type of event in which the paparazzi on wheels pursued the princess and Dodi al Fayed."

They were shown letters by former prime minister John Major and Press Complaints Commission chairman Sir Christopher Meyer voicing their concerns over the media harassment faced by Miss Middleton.

In their statement, the High Court judges said the letters "drew attention to the dangers of such behaviour and called for new sanctions against the paparazzi".

The High Court statement added: "It is not only members of the royal family and their friends who receive this unwelcome attention. Any celebrity is vulnerable.

"Not only is the safety of the person pursued potentially put at risk but there may well be a risk to bystanders.

"In our view, occurrences such as this are prejudicial to the safety of a section of the public. It is possible that this danger could be prevented by legislation or other means."

This was a key factor in the judges' decision to have a jury which could make recommendations on changes to the current law.

The High Court also said that although Lady Butler-Sloss's earlier ruling not to have a jury was legally correct it gave the wrong "appearance".

Lady Butler-Sloss has also been forced to ditch the ancient title Deputy Coroner of the Royal Household and will sit as assistant deputy coroner for Surrey.

Mr Fayed said of the inquest: "I hope it will happen before the 10th anniversary of their deaths. I want it to sit as soon as possible. I will leave no stone unturned until I get all the witnesses I believe committed this crime and ordered the crime.

"I am the father who lost his son and the only person who knows exactly what happened."

He said that six months before Diana died she knew she would be murdered. He said: "She was going to be murdered in a car and no one did anything to protect her."

A spokeswoman for Clarence House said: "We have no comment to make. It is a matter for the courts."

But she added that people should refer to the letter placed in court on behalf of Harry and William.

In particular, she read out the section saying: "The princes have asked me to indicate that it is their desire that the inquest should not only be open, fair and transparent but that it should move swiftly to a conclusion."

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