Dominic Carman
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In August 1997, Mohamed Al Fayed phoned my late father, George Carman, QC, to arrange a joint meeting with Diana, Princess of Wales and his son Dodi. George’s advice was needed on privacy matters. The meeting never happened. On August 31 the Princess and Dodi were killed, together with driver Henri Paul, when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
At the British inquest into their deaths, to be opened today by the coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker, the jury will be visiting the site in Paris. The inquest could last until next Easter.
Al Fayed will be represented by Michael Mansfield, QC, a name synonymous with fighting miscarriages of justice. Among his many causes célè-bres are the family of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence and Angela Canning, wrongly convicted for murdering her two sons.
Mansfield, 65, wears many labels: human rights champion, bike-riding vegetarian and radical socialist, albeit with a touch of champagne dampening the edges. He has even written a novel called, appropriately, The Inquest. Among journalists, colourful is the epithet most often applied to the twice-married father of six. And whereas most lawyers see their role as providing dispassionate counsel, he embraces passion with a capital P. “Of course I get emotionally involved in my work,” he says. “It’s not like being a surgeon: just another body that comes along, cut ’em up and on to the next. I can’t do that. I identify with the individual client, understand how they tick in order to communicate that to a jury. By the end of a case, when you’ve lived with somebody for a period of time, you identify with them. The emotional involvement stays with you.” One client who remains a good friend is Arthur Scargill, the former NUM President.
Quite how Mansfield relates emotionally to Al Fayed is unknown, although both are clearly sceptical of establishment thinking. Given Mansfield’s strongly declared republicanism, the two men would seem to be further united by their mutual opposition to the Royal Family. But we will have to wait and see whether he advocates at the inquest his client’s repeated claim that the Duke of Edinburgh is “a racist who orchestrated Diana’s murder”. Al Fayed has also called for the Prince of Wales and the Duke to give evidence, maintaining that the Princess and his son were murdered as part of a plot by the British Establishment.
When Mansfield was invited to become a judge – more than a decade ago – he turned it down without hesitation: “I’d be interfering, intervening and never shut up,” he quips. “More importantly, I thought the work that I do inside and outside court – campaigns, political activity and so on – would suffer.” He adds that “English judges have improved enormously. We live in a very interesting period. I never thought I’d see the day when the judiciary in the House of Lords is the protector against the politicians.”
Mansfield set out his stall as a defender early on. His reputation was forged when he defended a leader of the Angry Brigade, an anarchist group that bombed several ministerial homes. “Because the State employed top-level people, I thought I would like to provide a counterbalance – to help people who might not otherwise have a voice,” he says. “Everybody saw me as a red under the bed purely because I was anxious to do that kind of work.”
He provokes strong reactions from colleagues. According to one leading criminal silk, “he’s arrogant, very full of his own self-importance”. Another says that “he’s a hero to many and an inspiration to a generation of young barristers”. By his own admission, success has taken his earnings to £300,000 a year.
That makes him “a millionaire campaigning leftwinger”, and “Moneybags Mansfield” in the eyes of the tabloids. “It’s the sort of cheap abuse I ignore,” he says. “If you’re a public figure, then you don’t rise to it. I come from a very modest background and I didn’t come into the law because it’s well paid. I didn’t think: this is a goldmine for me. What I find really rewarding is when the public come up to me – nearly every day – and say: ‘Keep going.’ If that’s all that ever happens, that’s fine by me. I’m not interested in honours.” Experience has taught him to be circumspect about the prospects of any case and always to keep an open mind. “I learnt the hard way that I’m not the arbiter of truth. I may have a view which might be totally wrong.
“Having had so many juries who disagree with my view one way or the other – convicted when I thought they should acquit or the other way round – I’ve stopped making that judgment. But I do find it very upsetting when I lose.” Quite what winning and losing means in the context of this inquest remains to be seen.
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Stephen, I would have to say that such a plot could come from someone who knows that person (perphaps) never wears a seat-belt. If one has inside information there are many things that can be done.
Whether or not there was a conspiracy will never be proven either way. Even if Trevor would all of a sudden recover his memory, he will never say anything. He survived the crash, why would he want to put his life in danger again?
Hopefully, we can leave it alone to give some peace to her sons.
Daniela , Toronto, Canada
What assasin would hatch a plot to kill someone that would rely entirely on the victim not putting his/her seat-belt on? The conspiracy theories simply don't stand up, but people won't accept that somone as famous as Diana could die in a mundane car crash.
Stephen, Kent, UK
I am so fed up of hearing about this Diana woman. This country is worse than America. Haven't we got better things to do than re-speculate over and over again about her death? What a sad bunch we Brits are...
Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, England
Even if it was a secret plot, it will never be found out. There's too much power and money behind it to keep it secret. That's why it's called a secret plot.
sara, malabar, FL, USA
It is telling that the security cameras on the freeway and in the tunnel were all coincidentally "off" that night. Even more telling, is that Henri Paul does not seem to act impaired and that he is actually chatting with the paps moments before they leave. Whether or not it was an actual conspiracy, it does seem as if Henri Paul was involved in some manner, even if he is just getting paid off by the paps.
Katherine, Scottsdale, USA
This Conspiracy (if it exists) will never be found out.
Why ?
The people involved are far too powerful to be investigated with more precision than a chat over a cup of tea and scones.
The truth will probably remain elusive.
Ian Ward, alicante, spain
Yesterday there was a "last photo" of the mercedes, in the tunnel, just before the crash, posted online. It clearly showed the driver with a terrified look on his face, his mouth open as if in a scream. Today on the site they have the same photo- at least everone else in the photo is the same, bodygaurd, diana, dodi, but now the driver has his mouth closed, almost in a smile. In both photos all seem to be shielding their eyes from a bright light, which is explained in the first one as paparazzi camera flashes. What gives?
susan, portland , oregon, usa
I have read many articles and stories about Diana and Dodi. From all accounts it appears the Henri Paul's blood samples may have been switched since a normal person doesn't have 'that much carbon monoxide in their blood.. In fact one article said that the blood appeared to have come from someone who was already dead of carbon monoxide poisoning. The mad rush to embalm Diana, her statements that she would be killed and it would be made to look like an accident, along with witnesses that were found dead shortly thereafter or are forever now missing lead me to conclude that Mr Al Fayed has valid suspicions and they should be thoroughly investigated. What about the white Fiat Uno that was never found ? In this day and age of high profile investigations I find it preposterous to believe that the car could not be found. Henri Paul was blinded bya some type of light on purpose while the vehcile he was driving was rammed by another driver on purpose. Good luck Mr Al Fayed .
jim thear , palm beach , florida
For a plot to remain secret, it must meet two conditions:
i. almost no-one should know about it;
ii it should not be liable to investigation.
Neither condition could possibly be present in the Diana "plot", making any decision to hatch such a scheme completely lunatic - especially given the appalling fallout there'd be from having it rumbled. These considerations won't stop an army of solipsists from believing otherwise, but, to anyone with a grain of commonsense, it's pure moonshine.
Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K.
There could not be a better person to get somewhere near the truth than Michael Mansfield, QC, in my humble opinion.
Here's to some closure whatever that may be.
Graham Palfrey, Littlehampton,
Even if it was a secret plot, it will never be found out. There's too much power and money behind it to keep it secret. That's why it's called a secret plot.
sara, malabar, FL, USA
I have followed this case over the last 10 years with great interest and find that with Michael Mansfield representing Mr Al Fayed we may be close to resolving a situation that needs to be finalised.
I have my own views on the matter and suspect they are similar to those of the above, but they are based on experience not convincing evidence.
Where the truth lies - be it Conspiricy, allways difficult to prove, or Accident remains to be seen.
However I do hope for both Families the proceedings bring closure.
Philip Blanchard, Liverpool, England
More like a road traffic accident I think. This is what comes of putting people on pedestals - but it makes a good conspiracy theory.
Neil, Gloucestershire, England
Fayed and Mansfield do sound like an unusual combination of lawyer and client. But then I guess that foreign billionaires have the same human rights as everyone else. Perhaps the real question here is whether Mansfield is really helping someone who 'might not otherwise have a voice...'
Given Fayed's vast resources, he could easily afford any lawyer he wants. And as Mr Mansfield surely knows, there are many thousands of disadvantaged people who have no lawyer at all and desparately need one.
David Simpson, London,
Not only is there the ten years between a simple drink drive crash and inquest, there is the question of three coronors, and the attempt to ban a jury at the simple drink drive inquest because it would be too complicated for them. The best bit is the attempt to force one of those represented to hand over all their evidence, but for some reason not any of the others involved.
A plot? Never, never in a million years.
Dennis, London, England