Jojo
02-09-2006, 12:41
Top woman judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss has been approached to preside over the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed.
Dame Elizabeth, 73, has been recommended for the role after the coroner of the Queen's Household, Michael Burgess, stepped down from the task in July. Mr Burgess, who is also coroner for Surrey, blamed a "heavy and constant" workload for the decision to pull out.
The Times reported that Dame Elizabeth's appointment had not been officially confirmed but a senior Government official told the newspaper that only a few formalities remained to be completed.
When Mr Burgess withdrew he asked the Lord Chancellor "to nominate a suitable senior judicial figure to be appointed as deputy to hear these two cases".
Dame Elizabeth will await the official report into the deaths which is being conducted by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens.
In May, Lord Stevens said fresh witnesses and forensic evidence had been gathered, having earlier indicated the inquiry into the death of Diana was "far more complex than any of us thought".
Diana, 36, and Dodi, 42, were killed along with chauffeur Henri Paul when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997.
They were pursued by paparazzi photographers after leaving the Ritz Hotel for Mr Fayed's apartment.
A two-year investigation in France blamed Paul for losing control of the car because he was high on drink and prescription drugs and driving too fast.
Renowned for her no-nonsense approach, Dame Elizabeth retired last year as president of the High Court family division - a post she had held for six years. She was the first woman to break into the judicial elite when she was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1988.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will the inquest, when its heard, finally lay rest to the conspiracy theories etc?
Dame Elizabeth, 73, has been recommended for the role after the coroner of the Queen's Household, Michael Burgess, stepped down from the task in July. Mr Burgess, who is also coroner for Surrey, blamed a "heavy and constant" workload for the decision to pull out.
The Times reported that Dame Elizabeth's appointment had not been officially confirmed but a senior Government official told the newspaper that only a few formalities remained to be completed.
When Mr Burgess withdrew he asked the Lord Chancellor "to nominate a suitable senior judicial figure to be appointed as deputy to hear these two cases".
Dame Elizabeth will await the official report into the deaths which is being conducted by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens.
In May, Lord Stevens said fresh witnesses and forensic evidence had been gathered, having earlier indicated the inquiry into the death of Diana was "far more complex than any of us thought".
Diana, 36, and Dodi, 42, were killed along with chauffeur Henri Paul when their Mercedes crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997.
They were pursued by paparazzi photographers after leaving the Ritz Hotel for Mr Fayed's apartment.
A two-year investigation in France blamed Paul for losing control of the car because he was high on drink and prescription drugs and driving too fast.
Renowned for her no-nonsense approach, Dame Elizabeth retired last year as president of the High Court family division - a post she had held for six years. She was the first woman to break into the judicial elite when she was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1988.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will the inquest, when its heard, finally lay rest to the conspiracy theories etc?