Diana inquest coroner demands Channel 4 tunnel footage
The coroner in the inquest into the death of Princess Diana has urged British broadcaster Channel 4 to hand over all footage acquired for their programme 'Diana: Witness in the Tunnel' - because it could provide vital new evidence about the royal's demise.
The inquest aims to establish whether Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who were killed the French car crash on 31 August 1997, were simply the victims of a tragic accident, or if they were the targets of an assassination plot headed by the British royal family - as claimed by Fayed's father, tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed.
On Friday, the jury at London's High Court heard coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker request the release of the previously unseen tapes, which features interviews with the snappers who followed the Princess' car on the night of the tragic accident.
Lord Justice Scott Baker's representative, Jonathan Hough, told Mr Justice Eady: "The coroner has to investigate whether the actions of the paparazzi contributed to the crash.
"There is good reason to believe unbroadcast material relates to those issues."
The video footage was filmed for the controversial documentary into the royal's death, which sparked outrage when it was aired in the UK earlier this year.
This is not the first time Channel 4 have refused to give up the footage - they have been holding the tapes for four months after the coroner's first request to see the tapes.
But spokeswoman Heather Rogers said Channel 4 has now agreed to look over the material and hand over any relevant information as soon as possible.
A hearing next week will determine whether Channel 4 will be ordered by Mr Justice Eady to produce the requested material.
