The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 87

Trjj TANA BUTE i THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1997 mm IN HER OWN WORDS 6F PAPARAZZI REMAIN IN CUSTODY POLICE DEVELOP FILM LL like to be a queen of people's hearts, but I don't see myself being Queen of this country. 9 INQUIRY DEEPEN 4, 'h 7rt Source: Daily Telegraph, London ROGUE 'STALKER Pest faced ban on close-up snapping By PAUL PEACHEY The legal team of the Princess of Wales had been scheduled to appear in court yesterday to try to keep another amateur paparazzo away from her. Her lawyers, from Mishcon de Reya, succeeded in obtaining a temporary injunction in August last year which banned dispatch Martin Stenning from going within 300 metres of her. The Princess claimed Stenning had made her a prisoner in her own home and described him as a "stalker" who had trailed her on his motorcycle for about six months, pursuing her and Princes William and Harry. The Princess's affidavit last year said: "He always drives his motorcycle as close as he possibly can to my motor car, even if this means travelling fast through red lights at intersections." Stenning's solicitor said a brief technical hearing had been scheduled for London's High Court yesterday as part of the Princess's legal campaign to make the ban permanent.

But Mr Benedict Bimberg denied there were parallels between the accident in Paris and his client's legal case. He said: "Mr Stenning has always denied that he had stalked the Princess and was vigorously contesting the action." Mr Bimberg said his client had launched his own counter-claim for damages against the Princess for "technically assaulting" him and taking his property. He declined to comment on the case further until speaking to the Princess's legal team. Diana had made it clear she was prepared to be cross-examined. Other members of the paparazzi had distanced themselves from Stenning, saying he overstepped the mark.

AS By MATTHEW GLEDHILL in Paris and agencies Police have seized and developed 20 rolls of film from the paparazzi who were pursuing the Princess of Wales in Paris early Sunday morning in an attempt to discover the cause of the accident that claimed her life. Seven French photographers, one of Macedonian origin, remained in custody for a second day yesterday in Paris's central police station near Notre Dame Cathedral. A lawyer for one of the arrested photographers said yesterday that police had raided the offices of a number of photographic agencies linked to the seven photographers being held, apparently seeking evidence of pictures taken at the crash scene. Meanwhile, a lawyer for Mr Dodi Al-Fayed's father yesterday said a motorcycle was seen zig-zagging in front of the car in which Princess Diana and Dodi died seconds before it crashed. Lawyer Mr Bernard Dartev-elle, who represents Mr Mohamed Al-Fayed and wants photographers pursuing the princess to be investigated on suspicion of manslaughter, said the witness was driving in front of the Mercedes carrying Diana and Dodi.

"He saw the Mercedes coming from far off surrounded by so many motorcyclists that he believed it was an official cortege," Mr Dartevelle said. "When he entered the tunnel where the crash occurred he saw a motorcycle zig-zag in front of the Mercedes in his rear-view mirror," he said. A special criminal unit that usually handles important cases such as terrorist attacks was leading the inquiry. Prosecutors gave no details, saying only that "a deeper investigation" was under way. But sources close to the criminal investigation into Diana's death said photogra- A police van carrying seven photographers involved in the chase Bodyguard 'moderate' Paris: The only survivor of the crash that killed Princess Diana is security man Trevor Rees-Jones, a former soldier and Gulf War veteran.

Mr Rees-Jones's family were reportedly at his hospital bedside. His head and lung injuries were described as The 29-year-old, from Llanfyllin in Wales, is married and a former member of the close protection team of the Royal Military Police, who protect VIPs, according to The Times. A former colleague said: "He was Dodi's shadow, part of his personal team. Trevor is a good lad, good at his job." phers pursuing the car were "neither directly nor indirectly responsible for the The men, working on commission for international photographic agencies that included Sygma, Gamma and Sipa, were being questioned over the "role they may have played in the cause of the accident" and "how they behaved at the scene of the a press statement by authorities said. Police have a right to hold the photographers for 48 hours without laying charges.

In addition to charges associated with causing the accident, the men could also be charged with violating French laws that require immediate witnesses of an accident to try and give aid on the scene. As many as three photographers, involved in the motorcycle pursuit of Diana and Dodi just before their fatal crash, escaped the scene before police arrived, a number of Paris if of the Princess's car leaves the that images of the carnage and the victims existed. The editor of the American tabloid National Enquirer revealed that within hours of Diana's death, he had been offered pictures taken immediately after the accident for $1 million. He declined and has urged other tabloid papers to do likewise. Though police did not release the name of the driver of the Mercedes sedan, who was also killed on impact, the French press said he was "Monsieur Accident 'not survivable' Frankfurt: Mercedes-Benz, maker of the vehicle in which Britain's Princess Diana suffered fatal injuries in a high-speed crash, said no car could have withstood such a devastating collision.

"We are of the opinion that such an accident was not survivable in any type of vehicle," said Mr Wolfgang Inhester, Mercedes vice-president of passenger car media relations. "No vehicle in the world is built to withstand the dimensions of this accident." Officials at Mercedes have offered their assistance to French accident investigators, the group said. scene. Photos by ASSOCIATED PRESS second in charge of security at the Ritz Hotel where Diana and Dodi had dined Saturday evening. He is not beheved to be a specialist driver and may not have been familiar with the notorious tunnel, which quickly changes from two to one lane and curves to the left as it winds under the River Seine.

"He was the number two of the Palace's hotel's security service, he was driving too quickly and lost control of the car," an official chauffeur from the Ritz who asked not to be named told Liberation. The only survivor of the crash, a bodyguard who was seriously injured, could be the police's best hope as they struggle to reconstruct the tragedy. Investigators spent several hours examining the skid marks in the tunnel, which trailed 20 to 30 metres behind the car before it slammed into a concrete piling, spun and struck a tunnel wall photographers revealed on condition of anonymity. France Info radio said at least some of the photographers took pictures before help arrived, and one of the photographers was beaten by horrified witnesses. Ten witnesses, including passengers in a car immediately in front of the couple, have also been questioned by police.

A police source quoted by the newspaper Liberation said their accounts were "very "The car that was trying to shake them the photographers was driving too fast, that's all," the police source told Liberation. The unnamed source said the Mercedes was travelling at between 140 and 150 kmh. A witness quoted by the Parisien newspaper said the photographers were not immedi-atedly behind the car at the time it entered the Pont d'Alma tunnel in the centre-east of Paris where the accident occurred. "Behind the car, there weren't any motorbikes," said 38-year-old Gary Dean. "Not immediately behind, in any case." A photographer from Le Figaro newspaper told the Herald, on condition of anonymity, that up three other photographers had been present at the scene of the accident One, a well-known photographer of the stars, denied any knowledge of the events before calling the Herald back to say that although he was not involved in the chase, he knew 2 1.