Expert casts doubt on accuracy of Diana driver's blood tests
The procedures followed by French medical examiners to determine whether Henri Paul was drunk, had "inconsistencies", the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales was told today.
Important blood samples taken from the driver who crashed, killing Diana and Dodi Fayed, were thought to have come from his heart but were later discovered to have been removed from his chest cavity, a less reliable source for testing.
There was also confusion over when the blood samples were collected from the driver, who was also killed in the crash, and the body numbering for Mr Paul and Mr Fayed was mixed up at one stage, the inquest jury was told.
Professor Robert Forrest, a retired consultant in clinical chemistry and forensic toxicology, has compiled his own study after examining the medical reports relating to Mr Paul, acting head of security at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
Prof Forrest used the phrase "garbage in garbage out" to illustrate the importance of having "good quality samples you know the provenance of".
He told the inquest: "Bottom line is, the interpretation of the samples is only as good as the samples themselves.
"It doesn't matter how sophisticated the analysis is, if you don't have the good material to work with you have to qualify the interpretation of the data your laboratory generates."
Dr Gilbert Pepin, responsible for the toxicology tests, believed the blood samples had come from Mr Paul's heart.
He was later told they had come from the chest cavity however and therefore could have been contaminated by the driver's stomach contents or his broken ribs, the hearing was told.
Prof Forrest said: "I was there when Dr Pepin was told it was not cardiac blood, it was chest cavity blood. I still have a vivid recollection of the way that his face changed when he was told, he looked surprised."
