Oh my God . . .

[wingco]

Have I just misread it or did they deliver a verdict of unlawful killing in the Diana inquest?

[wingco]

Oh my God . . .

Oh. I see. Just the driver but now the Paparazzi also.

[My Name Is Ian]

Oh my God . . .

Well, that's what the BBC new ticker says.

Hang The Queen!

[My Name Is Ian]

Oh my God . . .

Damn.

[My Name Is Ian]

Oh my God . . .

Have I just committed conspiracy to treason there?

Shit.

[gt3]

Oh my God . . .

"Under the 1351 Act, anyone is guilty if he “levies war against the Sovereign” or is “adherent to the Sovereign's enemies”. Also guilty is anyone who “compasses or imagines the death of the Sovereign”. Those words come from a 14th century language known as “Law French”. It’s bit ridiculous to have to apply them to situations today."

From The Times online.

Think you may be in trouble 200%

[David Agnew]

Oh my God . . .

Is there a reward for reporting that sort of thing?

[My Name Is Ian]

Oh my God . . .

I'll take the rest of you with me (as soon as the old site is opened as an archive again).

[ursus arctos]

Oh my God . . .

Does this ruling have any actual legal effect?

I've always found the English coroner's inquest process to be bizarre (we have nothing like it in the US), and have never understood exactly what import the findings have. For example, can the findings now serve as the basis for a civil action against the papparazzi and Paul's estate? Do they have an impact on the distribution of insurance proceeds?

Or is it all a legal sideshow?

[WOM]

Oh my God . . .

I like that fact that it took ten years, a six-month inquest, and 5 days' deliberation to come to the conclusion that a combination of drunk driver, fast car, concrete pillar, and four people not wearing seatbelts is a more likely 'cause' of death than a conspiracy involving Muslim-hating Royals.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Oh my God . . .

No, no, no, this can't be right. A car accident involving a speeding driver, being distracted by chasing motorbikes because he was allegedly drunk, and a concrete pillar, cannot possibly have been the cause of the almost incidental deaths of three people who were in a car being driven by an allegedly drunk, speeding driver who crashed into a concrete pillar.

Have we waited almost 10 years for this? Have we paid lawyers millions of pounds of public money just for this ridiculous verdict?

Good God, next they'll be trying to sell us the idea that JFK was shot by a trained marksman who had a clear shot with a rifle.

[gt3]

Oh my God . . .

ua - The Coroner's verdict is often the sprinboard for a civil claim for damages if the verdict is one such as this. If it's simply "accidental death", then it has no impact on the civil claim. On it's own this verdict wouldn't be binding in a civil claim for damages, but it would be highly persuasive as the burden of proof is higher than a civil court.

I reckon all this was 10 years of Fayed not able to come to terms that one of his employees was directly responsible for their deaths. We should send him the bill. Or boycott Harrods.

[ursus arctos]

Oh my God . . .

Thanks gt3. That is very helpful context. I read somewhere else that the standard in these cases is "beyond a reasonable doubt" and must confess that I find it difficult to understand how the jury could have met that standard in this case, though I guess that part of that is that I also have difficulty with the verdict's apparent aggregation of the gross negligence of both Paul and the paparazzi.

I don't see anyone filing a civil suit here, though.

I was already boycotting Harrod's, so I guess I won't be going to Fulham either.

[gt3]

Oh my God . . .

Indeed ua. Given that Henri Paul was an employee of Fayed, the personal representatives of Diana and Dodi could bring a claim against his employers and indeed those of the paparrazi. As you say though, it's unlikely hey?

[Spearmint Rhino]

Oh my God . . .

"I'm going down in history for this"

[Eggchaser]

Oh my God . . .

And still, a spokesman for Al-Fayed claimed this mornignt that because the verdict wasn't unanimous, it's not conclusive because two of the jurors must have been convinced that the others cars present around there were driven by MI6/the Duke of Edinburgh/Lord Lucan/Shergar/Elvis/Salman Rushdie/"V" lizard aliens/whoever else the fuck the old twat can transfer his guilt and grief onto.

Just let it go. The woman's sons seem to have accepted with the verdict, why can't you?

[hobbes]

Oh my God . . .

It's not "Al-Fayed." It's "Fayed."
He added the "Al" himself to suggest he was part of a/the ruling family/royalty.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Oh my God . . .

Next you'll be telling me Dr Dre isn't a real doctor.

[JtS]

Oh my God . . .

I thought his middle name was Alan

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Oh my God . . .

Who else here has washed their feet in the diana fountain? It was broken when I was there.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Oh my God . . .

oh and when are they going to start the seatbelt campaign along the lines of "If she had worn her seatbelt she wouldn't be dead now."

[Mumpo]

Oh my God . . .

Who else here has washed their feet in the diana fountain?

No, but she has sired my illegitimate son.