19 December 2007 - Morning session
1 Wednesday, 19th December 2007
2 (9.00 am)
3 (Proceedings delayed)
4 (Jury out)
5 (9.06 am)
6 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Burnett, I am sad to report
7 that one of the jurors has suffered a bereavement.
8 First of all I am sure that everybody in court would
9 like all of our condolences to be expressed to the juror
10 in question.
11 Without going into details, the effect on the
12 proceedings is as follows: that the juror is both
13 willing and indeed keen that the New Zealand witness
14 should proceed this morning if possible, but thereafter
15 the proceedings today will terminate. All the other
16 witnesses listed for today, I think, can relatively
17 easily be reorganised on another occasion. It is
18 anticipated that we would sit as planned tomorrow at
19 10 o'clock. That at least is the present position.
20 The other problem is that I understand that there is
21 difficulty with the videolink to New Zealand. This was
22 working satisfactorily when tested, I think, on two
23 occasions yesterday, but for some reason there is
24 a problem with the sound that New Zealand can't hear us.
25 Steps are being taken to try and resolve that, but
1
1 obviously we can't wait for very long without knowing
2 the outcome.
3 So what I have indicated is that if we don't know
4 within the next ten minutes that it will work, we will
5 have to adjourn without hearing any evidence today. If,
6 on the other hand, the link-up is successful, we will
7 proceed with Ms Gribble's evidence.
8 MR BURNETT: Sir, given that the one juror will not hear
9 Ms Gribble's evidence, but that LiveNote and transcripts
10 are being made available --
11 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: She will hear Ms Gribble's
12 evidence. The juror is here.
13 MR BURNETT: I am so sorry. I had misunderstood. That's my
14 misunderstanding, but I am very pleased to have been
15 able to clarify --
16 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: We don't anticipate that
17 Miss Gribble's evidence will take, in total, more than
18 about an hour and a half.
19 MR HOUGH: I think that's my view, at the outside limit,
20 yes.
21 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Thank you. That is obviously
22 relevant. Very well. I shall adjourn until we have
23 some more information about the videolink.
24 (9.09 am)
25 (A short break)
2
1 (9.17 am)
2 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: You are Ms Gribble, are you?
3 THE WITNESS: Yes.
4 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Can you hear me?
5 THE WITNESS: Yes, I can.
6 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: We will be beginning in just
7 a moment. We have to bring the jury into court.
8 THE WITNESS: Right, okay. You can hear me clear enough?
9 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Yes, we can hear you. The
10 message that I have received is that there is some
11 buzzing on the line, but hopefully it will be
12 manageable. If it isn't, we will have to stop.
13 (Jury present)
14 MS DEBORAH GRIBBLE (sworn)
15 Questions from MR HOUGH
16 (Evidence via videolink)
17 MR HOUGH: Good morning. Are you Deborah Gribble?
18 A. Yes, that's right, good morning.
19 Q. My name is Jonathan Hough and I ask questions first on
20 behalf of the Coroner.
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. I think you were chief stewardess on the Jonikal for the
23 period of all three holidays taken by the Princess of
24 Wales and Dodi Al Fayed in the French Riviera in July
25 and August 1997.
3
1 A. Yes, that's right.
2 Q. I think you gave a statement about events to the British
3 police in November 2005.
4 A. Yes, that's right.
5 Q. Do you have a copy of that statement with you?
6 A. Yes, I do.
7 Q. Now I think also you gave an interview to the News of
8 the World newspaper in December 1997 and we will deal
9 with the details of that later.
10 A. (Witness nods)
11 Q. You are nodding?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. Is it fair to say, without going into any more detail,
14 that you would have been paid for that interview?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. Have you given any other interviews to the media or
17 anyone else about the events in July and August 1997?
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. Can you briefly say who?
20 A. A local magazine here in New Zealand.
21 Q. Would you have been paid for that as well?
22 A. Yes.
23 Q. Other than the payment from that magazine and the News
24 of the World, have you received any other payment for
25 giving your account of events?
4
1 A. A small fee for one other German television documentary,
2 which was earlier this year.
3 Q. Are you expecting any payment in the future for your
4 account of events?
5 A. No.
6 Q. One other matter to make clear at the outset. I think,
7 this is right, you first met Kes Wingfield in
8 August 1997.
9 A. Yes. That's right.
10 Q. But sometime after the fatal crash, you in fact had
11 a three-year relationship with Mr Wingfield; is that
12 right?
13 A. Yes, that's right.
14 Q. Now, going back to your background, I think that since
15 the early 1990s, you worked as a stewardess on what
16 might be called "super yachts".
17 A. Yes, that's right.
18 Q. That job basically entailed housekeeping, arranging
19 provisions and so on?
20 A. Yes, that's right.
21 Q. At the start of July 1997, I think you obtained a job as
22 chief stewardess on the Jonikal through a crew agency.
23 A. Yes, I did.
24 Q. You were interviewed by the captain of the yacht and
25 given a job which was to start on the following day, and
5
1 this was in Antibes?
2 A. Yes, that's correct.
3 Q. I think that you were informed that Mr Al Fayed had
4 bought the yacht shortly before that time.
5 A. Yes, that's right.
6 Q. Just to give the jury here a picture of the yacht,
7 I think it slept 12 guests; is that right?
8 A. Yes, that's right.
9 Q. And in terms of staff, there was the captain and four
10 crew, the chef and three staff, two stewardesses and
11 security staff.
12 A. It was about 12 to 14 crew, yes.
13 Q. When you joined the yacht, were you informed that the
14 crew had been changed recently?
15 A. Yes, I was.
16 Q. Was any reason given for that change?
17 A. I understood that Mohamed Al Fayed wasn't happy with the
18 existing crew at that time. Whether it was a rumour,
19 I don't know, but that was what I was told.
20 Q. Now I think that when you boarded the yacht, you were
21 told that you had only a couple of days to prepare for
22 the arrival of the Al Fayed family.
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. You weren't given any notice that the Princess of Wales
25 and her sons would be with them?
6
1 A. That's right, we didn't know.
2 Q. You started by travelling up the coast to Nice to
3 collect the Al Fayed family?
4 A. Yes.
5 Q. Now, we know that this holiday was from the 11th to
6 20th July 1997, so their arrival on the yacht would have
7 been around 11th July; is that right?
8 A. Yes.
9 Q. Now we know also that the party that boarded the yacht
10 in Nice was Mohamed Al Fayed and his family, the
11 Princess of Wales and her sons, and that they cruised up
12 to St Tropez first.
13 A. Yes, that's right.
14 Q. Dodi Al Fayed was not there at first; he joined on
15 14th July for the Bastille Day fireworks in Cannes?
16 A. Yes.
17 Q. When he did join and when he was with the party for that
18 holiday, was he based on a separate boat called the
19 Cujo?
20 A. Yes.
21 Q. Now, over the course of this family holiday, you would
22 have seen Dodi Al Fayed and the Princess of Wales
23 together, wouldn't you?
24 A. Yes.
25 Q. At that stage, did you form any view about the nature of
7
1 their relationship?
2 A. Sorry, when was that exactly?
3 Q. This was the first holiday, the 11th to 20th July, the
4 Al Fayed family holiday.
5 A. Yes, okay.
6 Q. Did you form any view about their relationship on that
7 holiday?
8 A. No, I didn't, no.
9 Q. I think in your statement you say that you just thought
10 that they were two people getting to know each other; is
11 that fair?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. Did you ever meet Kelly Fisher on this holiday?
14 A. Yes, I believe I did.
15 Q. Was that because Dodi Al Fayed brought her on board the
16 Jonikal at one point?
17 A. Yes, they came for lunch.
18 Q. When they came for lunch, was the rest of the Al Fayed
19 family and the Princess of Wales on the yacht?
20 A. No, no, there was no-one else there.
21 Q. When they came aboard the yacht, how was Kelly Fisher
22 behaving.
23 A. She didn't seem very happy at all. In fact she was
24 quite -- she seemed quite upset in her manner.
25 Q. Now I think you didn't meet Kelly Fisher again after
8
1 this occasion, did you?
2 A. No.
3 Q. But I think you did overhear a telephone conversation
4 between Rene Delorm, who was on the Jonikal, and
5 Kelly Fisher at a later time?
6 A. Yes, I did.
7 Q. Which of the holidays was it that you overheard that
8 conversation?
9 A. That would have been -- I am pretty sure it was the
10 second holiday, as in the second trip on the yacht, the
11 first cruise by themselves.
12 Q. Can you describe the kind of telephone conversation you
13 overheard? Obviously you only overheard what
14 Rene Delorm was saying.
15 A. That's right, that's all I -- I didn't actually hear
16 exactly what Rene was saying, I just -- because he was
17 standing right next to me, I could just tell he was
18 trying to calm someone down, and he told me, once he got
19 off the phone, that he was speaking with Kelly.
20 Q. Now Dodi Al Fayed you met on all three holidays. Can
21 you help us with this: how did he treat his staff
22 generally?
23 A. He seemed very nice. He was generally very nice to
24 everybody.
25 Q. I am going to ask you about something you say in your
9
1 witness statement. It is page 4 of the statement. You
2 say this:
3 "Mohamed [that's Mohamed Al Fayed] knew what he
4 wanted and when he wanted it. If your face did not fit,
5 you would be out. Dodi could be like his father in that
6 if something was not being done properly, then he would
7 scream and shout about it."
8 Is that an accurate description?
9 A. I am not sure about "scream and shout". That's
10 certainly -- certainly if the service that he requested
11 he didn't get it, then he would have said -- he would
12 have made it clear, and he could have been, you know,
13 quite firm about it, but ... yeah, sorry, I am having to
14 really think back, obviously.
15 Q. A number of other witnesses have given evidence that he
16 was really quite polite to his staff; is that something
17 you agree with?
18 A. Yes, I would say he was very polite to his staff. He
19 was to me, always.
20 Q. Now, can we next move on to the second holiday, which
21 was the first cruise that Dodi Al Fayed and the Princess
22 had together. We know that the dates of that cruise
23 were from 31st July to 6th August. I think in your
24 statement you describe the level of press attention,
25 paparazzi attention, during this cruise as being
10
1 slightly less than on the earlier holiday and on the
2 second cruise; is that right?
3 A. Sorry, I don't understand the question. Could you
4 repeat it?
5 Q. In your statement you have indicated that on this
6 cruise, the intensity of press attention, journalists'
7 attention, on the couple was less than for the first
8 holiday and also less than for the final cruise; is that
9 right?
10 A. No.
11 Q. Okay. You think that --
12 A. The press -- the second cruise was, there wasn't
13 a lot -- there wasn't any press around on the second
14 cruise or very little.
15 Q. By the "second cruise", do you mean the last cruise?
16 A. No, I am sorry. I am referring to the middle cruise,
17 that is 1, 2 and 3, and I am referring to the second.
18 Q. So there was less press attention for the first of the
19 two cruises that the Princess of Wales and Dodi took
20 together?
21 A. Yes, that's right.
22 Q. Nevertheless I think you were aware, even on this
23 cruise, of paparazzi in boats approaching the yacht and
24 aware of a confrontation between the security staff and
25 some of the paparazzi?
11
1 A. Yes.
2 Q. Now I think that on this cruise John Johnson was the
3 bodyguard, and on the last day of the cruise the couple
4 went ashore in Monte Carlo.
5 A. Yes.
6 Q. Do you know whether they visited a jewellers shop on
7 that occasion?
8 A. No, I don't know.
9 Q. Now --
10 A. (inaudible).
11 Q. -- we have heard from others that the romantic
12 relationship between Dodi Al Fayed and the Princess of
13 Wales had started by the time of this, their first
14 cruise together. Is that right?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. How would you characterise their relationship on this
17 cruise?
18 A. Well they were clearly having a relationship and they
19 were on board as a couple.
20 Q. Without going into any details of how you were aware,
21 was it apparent to you that they were sleeping together?
22 A. Well, yes, I suppose so.
23 Q. Now, again, I will deal with this briefly and try to be
24 sensitive. It has been suggested that the Princess of
25 Wales might have been pregnant at the time of her death.
12
1 Were you aware whether she was using any method of
2 contraception during this cruise?
3 A. Yes. Yes.
4 Q. How were you aware of that?
5 A. Just through vigilling (sic) things, her personal
6 belongings, on my rounds of straightening up the cabin
7 and their living areas.
8 Q. You saw a contraceptive pill packet; is that right?
9 A. Yes.
10 Q. Was it a new pack, a new strip, with no pills missing,
11 or were there some pills missing from the pack?
12 A. Yes, I believe there were pills missing from the pack.
13 Q. During this cruise, I think you also met Rene Delorm for
14 the first time.
15 A. Yes, that's right.
16 Q. Can you describe him briefly and his relationship with
17 Dodi Al Fayed?
18 A. Rene was -- or clearly had a very close relationship
19 with Dodi, as his boss, and he -- he had worked for him
20 for sometime, I understood, and they had a very close
21 relationship. He -- they seemed to get on very well,
22 so ... probably about ... does that answer the question?
23 Q. I think so. Just one other question about Rene Delorm.
24 I think in your statement you say that he was a bit of
25 a gossip; is that right?
13
1 A. Yes. He was definitely very friendly and chatty and
2 talked a lot, yes, to all the crew, and -- well, with
3 myself. We talked a lot because we were working
4 together, serving the Princess -- serving Diana and
5 Dodi, so we were constantly discussing and chatting and
6 talking, yes.
7 Q. We have heard from others that Dodi Al Fayed kept in
8 regular contact with his father. Were you aware of that
9 happening during this cruise and the other cruise?
10 A. Yes, I was, yes.
11 Q. During the cruises, did the Princess of Wales express to
12 you any fears about her personal safety?
13 A. No, never, no.
14 Q. Did she ever express any concern to you that she might
15 be being watched?
16 A. No.
17 Q. Coming on to the final cruise, we know that the dates of
18 this cruise were 22nd to 30th August and that there was
19 a new bodyguard team for this cruise, that was
20 Trevor Rees-Jones and Kes Wingfield, and that
21 Myriah Daniels was also on the cruise. We heard from
22 her yesterday in evidence at this inquest.
23 A. Yes. That's right.
24 Q. On this cruise, were you aware of any change in the
25 relationship of the Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed
14
1 or was it as you have described before?
2 A. No, it was exactly as I described before.
3 Q. Were you aware at any point on this cruise of
4 Dodi Al Fayed giving the Princess of Wales gifts?
5 A. Yes.
6 Q. What kind of gifts?
7 A. I believe there was some clothing and I think
8 a bracelet.
9 Q. I think she, in return, also gave him at least some kind
10 of gift to do with cigars, a cutter or a box; is that
11 right?
12 A. That's right, yes.
13 Q. Were you aware or was there any talk of them having
14 looked at or selected an engagement ring?
15 A. No, not at all. I wasn't aware of any of that.
16 Q. You would have spoken to the bodyguards during the
17 course of this cruise. As far as you were aware, did
18 they think that there were enough bodyguards on the
19 cruise?
20 A. No, they didn't. They constantly complained to me that
21 they didn't have enough people and back-up.
22 Q. Now, dealing briefly with the level of press attention,
23 how intense was this on the third cruise?
24 A. It was very -- it was very intense, I would say, yes.
25 Q. How did Dodi Al Fayed react to that intense press
15
1 attention?
2 A. I definitely think he found it -- he found it perhaps
3 difficult at times.
4 Q. Now during the course of this cruise, I think the couple
5 again went ashore in Monte Carlo on 23rd August, and
6 I think you recall them having gone ashore after dark.
7 A. Yes, that's right.
8 Q. Did you hear about the Princess of Wales recognising
9 a photographer when she went ashore?
10 A. Yes, she told me about that when she came back on the
11 boat.
12 Q. Did she mention any name in relation to the
13 photographer?
14 A. She -- I think she did mention a name, but I don't
15 recall who -- the name.
16 Q. Were you aware of any visit to a jeweller on this
17 occasion?
18 A. I am sorry, could you repeat that question? I couldn't
19 hear you.
20 Q. Do you know whether or not the Princess of Wales and
21 Dodi Al Fayed visited a jeweller's shop on this occasion
22 in Monte Carlo?
23 A. I never heard anything about that, no.
24 Q. Now, during this final cruise, were you again aware of
25 seeing a contraceptive pill packet around?
16
1 A. Yes, I believe so, yes.
2 Q. Obviously you looked at the Princess of Wales' personal
3 belongings, you had to for your job; were you aware of
4 any hygiene products which might suggest she was having
5 a period at this time?
6 A. No.
7 Q. Now, on the last day of the cruise, I think that
8 Mr Al Fayed and also Rene Delorm and Myriah Daniels
9 spoke to you about a longer-term job with the Al Fayed
10 family; is that right?
11 A. Yes.
12 Q. Can you describe what the nature of this proposed job
13 was?
14 A. It was fairly vague. It was roughly along the lines of
15 Dodi would like me to join the team, which consisted of
16 Myriah and Rene and Kes and Trevor. That was my
17 understanding.
18 Q. Was there any indication how long this job would be for?
19 A. No.
20 Q. Was there any indication that this job would involve
21 sometimes or often looking after the Princess of Wales?
22 A. I don't remember exactly the outline of what the job
23 would be. It was -- as I say, it was fairly vague.
24 I am sorry, I don't quite remember.
25 Q. At the end of the cruise, where was it planned that you
17
1 should go?
2 A. Well, it wasn't really planned. I think it was just
3 announced the night before that they would all be going
4 to Paris and I was asked to join them.
5 Q. I think in your statement you say that the plan was to
6 go on to London from Paris; is that right?
7 A. Yes, that's right.
8 Q. Were you told of any suggestion that Dodi might be
9 moving permanently to the United States?
10 A. I think there was a discussion around the house that he
11 was renovating in the States, but that's as far as
12 I remember.
13 Q. Now, can I deal now with some comments that you made to
14 the News of the World? I think the publicist,
15 Max Clifford, set up the interview for you with the News
16 of the World; is that right?
17 A. Yes, that's right.
18 Q. Who put you in touch with Max Clifford?
19 A. I spoke to him directly myself.
20 Q. Now, in the article for the News of the World, you are
21 recorded as saying that the Princess of Wales told you
22 that she would love to have a daughter, another child.
23 Was there any truth in that remark?
24 A. No, I didn't make that comment.
25 Q. Are you saying that you didn't tell the News of the
18
1 World that?
2 A. There was a discussion around something along those
3 lines, which I don't remember clearly. However I do
4 remember clearly telling the reporter that that line was
5 not true and I certainly didn't want any untruths being
6 published because it wasn't true and I didn't say it.
7 Q. So when the News of the World reported that Diana told
8 you that she would like another child, that's simply not
9 true?
10 A. No, it's not true. I was never told that and that's not
11 true.
12 Q. Before your interview, did Mr Clifford give you any
13 pointers on what to say during your interview?
14 A. What do you mean by that?
15 Q. Did he give you any advice or instructions about what
16 kind of things you should say?
17 A. Erm ... (Pause). No, I vaguely remember there was
18 a discussion with him, but that was roughly in my own
19 words, that I had worked on the yacht and -- he may have
20 suggested -- he may have made some comments that
21 obviously the more colourful the story, the more
22 interested -- and I made it very clear that that was not
23 my intention. I was happy to talk about my honest
24 account and experience of working for Diana and Dodi and
25 that was the bottom line.
19
1 Q. Okay. At the end of the cruise, you flew from Sardinia
2 to Le Bourget Airport in Paris; is that right?
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. You were driven from there to Dodi Al Fayed's apartment
5 in a Range Rover by Henri Paul; is that right?
6 A. Yes, I believe it was Henri Paul. I can't remember who
7 the driver was.
8 Q. Now we have heard from others that you were sitting in
9 the back seat along with Rene Delorm and Myriah Daniels.
10 Do you remember that?
11 A. Yes, I do.
12 Q. And Kes Wingfield was sitting in front with the driver?
13 A. Yes.
14 Q. Now, can you describe the driver's driving on that
15 journey into Paris?
16 A. I remember it to be a very hairy drive. It was fast and
17 furious and I was actually quite scared in the back
18 seat.
19 Q. Now Myriah Daniels has described the speed of the drive
20 being dangerous and also some dangerous manoeuvres. Do
21 you recall any dangerous manoeuvres?
22 A. Yes, I do. I recall him swerving, changing lanes and
23 that sort of thing.
24 Q. Both Myriah Daniels and Rene Delorm have told this
25 inquest that in particular there was one manoeuvre when
20
1 the driver drove across a number of lanes quite
2 suddenly. Do you recall that manoeuvre?
3 A. Yes, I do, yes.
4 Q. Now by contrast with these accounts, Mr Wingfield, in
5 a statement he made to the French police in
6 September 1997, said that he recalled Mr Paul, the
7 driver, driving at an appropriate speed and safely. Can
8 you explain why Mr Wingfield would have given a rather
9 different account from yours when he gave that statement
10 so soon after events?
11 A. It's not a discussion I ever had with him so I don't
12 know his reasons for making that statement.
13 Q. Now I will deal with the remainder of the day quite
14 briskly. I think that you arrived at the apartment in
15 Paris some time after 4 o'clock and then Diana and Dodi
16 arrived at around 7 o'clock; is that right?
17 A. Yes, that's right.
18 Q. You and Myriah Daniels together were on the balcony when
19 they arrived and you saw an altercation between
20 a security guard and some paparazzi; is that right?
21 A. Yes, that's right.
22 Q. We have heard from Myriah Daniels about how you both had
23 the evening off and how you both heard about the crash,
24 so I won't cover that ground again with you.
25 One final matter to deal with: you obviously had
21
1 this relationship with Mr Wingfield after these events.
2 Are you still in touch with him?
3 A. No.
4 Q. Do you know where he is?
5 A. No.
6 Q. Do you have any mutual friends through whom you could
7 get a message to him?
8 A. No, no. I actually have not been in touch with him for
9 several years so I have no idea where he is.
10 MR HOUGH: Thank you very much. Those are my questions.
11 Others will have some more questions for you.
12 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Mansfield.
13 Questions from MR MANSFIELD
14 MR MANSFIELD: Yes, good evening.
15 A. Good evening.
16 Q. My name is Michael Mansfield and I represent
17 Mohamed Al Fayed. I only have two questions, so it's
18 very little. One relates to the job offer that was
19 being made to you at the end of the second cruise on
20 Jonikal.
21 A. Yes.
22 Q. I am sorry, it's a long time ago to be remembering
23 details. The way you expressed it in your statement to
24 the police -- and you may look if you wish, it's page 7,
25 at the bottom -- and I will just put to you how you
22
1 described the offer.
2 "It was my understanding that I was to act as
3 a female personal assistant for Dodi and Diana."
4 Then you compared it to a female version of
5 Rene Delorm. So is that a fair description of what your
6 understanding was about the nature of the job on offer?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. In relation to that, as it were, offer, you also
9 indicate in the same statement that you would be going
10 on to London -- that's part of the offer -- for
11 an unspecified time. Is that also what you understood
12 at the time?
13 A. Yes.
14 Q. Only one other thing: the relationship between Dodi and
15 Diana was intimate as you have described, but in public
16 is it true to say they were very affectionate towards
17 each other, a reciprocal relationship with them both
18 showing affection to the other person in public?
19 A. What are you referring to when you say "in public"?
20 Q. Well --
21 A. Do you mean --
22 Q. Well, I mean on the boat --
23 A. What do you mean?
24 Q. I do not mean where you were; just on the boat. I don't
25 want to go into all the intimacies. I just want to
23
1 establish, they were very affectionate --
2 A. Neither do I.
3 Q. No, no. So I just want to establish, they were very
4 affectionate, so far as you could see, towards each
5 other?
6 A. They were affectionate towards each other, yes.
7 MR MANSFIELD: All right. I will not press the details.
8 Thank you very much.
9 A. Thank you.
10 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Keen?
11 Questions from MR KEEN
12 MR KEEN: Good evening, Ms Gribble. My name is
13 Richard Keen.
14 A. Hello.
15 Q. You were asked a few minutes ago about your contact with
16 Max Clifford leading to contact with the press, and you
17 said, as I noted you --
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. "I was happy to talk about my honest account and
20 experience of working for Diana and Dodi and that was
21 the bottom line."
22 Now --
23 A. Yes.
24 Q. You mentioned that you had in front of you the statement
25 that you had given to the Metropolitan Police. I wonder
24
1 if you could turn to page 9 of that statement and
2 confirm what you told them. If we look to the bottom of
3 that page, did you tell them the following?
4 "I have been asked to comment on the article written
5 by Clive Goodman that appeared in the News of the World
6 newspaper on December 7th 1997. In preparation for the
7 article, I was interviewed and asked whether Diana ever
8 told me that she wanted children. I told the journalist
9 that I thought so, but to be honest she never told me
10 that. I feel bad about it now, but I was encouraged by
11 friends to mislead the press to earn some money."
12 Were you telling the truth to the Metropolitan
13 Police when you gave them that statement, Ms Gribble?
14 A. Yes.
15 Q. If you turn back to page 8 of your statement,
16 Ms Gribble, I think you also told the Metropolitan
17 Police the following:
18 "Whilst we were with Dodi and Diana's car, there
19 were two or three motorcycles whizzing in and out
20 between us in a sort of S-shaped manoeuvre.
21 I definitely thought that one of them was going to get
22 knocked off. It was like a chase."
23 This, of course, is referring to the journey from
24 the airport into Paris, is it not?
25 A. Yes.
25
1 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Keen, I think you should read
2 the whole of the paragraph.
3 MR KEEN: I was just going to continue, sir, if you wait for
4 a moment.
5 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: You missed out the first three
6 lines, which put this in context.
7 MR KEEN: With respect, sir, I was just going to go back to
8 that, so if you would allow me to continue with my
9 question. Now, you said:
10 "I definitely thought one of them was going to get
11 knocked off. It was like a chase. I do not remember if
12 they were taking photographs. All I can remember about
13 these motorbikes is that they were black. I remember
14 thinking 'How did the press know that we were arriving
15 at that time?'"
16 Again, was that an accurate statement of your
17 recollection at the time you told the Metropolitan
18 Police, Ms Gribble?
19 A. Yes, I believe it was. Yes, it is.
20 Q. As regards the driving from the airport, what you said
21 was this:
22 "From the airport we all set off for Dodi's
23 apartment. The car that Dodi and Diana was in sped off,
24 as did we. The journey to the apartment was really
25 quite scary. We were trying to follow Diana and Dodi's
26
1 car and our driver was going like a bat out of hell but
2 lost them."
3 Is it the case that in fact the car in which Dodi
4 and Diana were travelling was actually travelling faster
5 than the car in which you were travelling so that you
6 lost touch with it?
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. You go on to say:
9 "I remember Kes was on the phone to Trevor during
10 the journey."
11 When you refer there to "Trevor", are you referring
12 to Trevor Rees-Jones, who was in Dodi and Diana's car?
13 A. Yes. Yes.
14 Q. Do you recall for how long motorcycles were whizzing in
15 and out between you in a sort of S-shaped manoeuvre and
16 whether that involved not only the car you were in, but
17 the car in which Dodi and Princess Diana were
18 travelling?
19 A. I remember it was quite brief (inaudible) motorcycle.
20 Q. When you describe an S-shaped manoeuvre, are you
21 describing these motorcycles going in and out between
22 the vehicle in which you were travelling and the vehicle
23 in which Princess Diana was travelling?
24 A. No, I am not specifically talking about those vehicles.
25 I just recall them going in front of us and -- going in
27
1 front of the car that I was travelling in, and around
2 other cars on the road, and speeding off.
3 Q. Would you describe them as cutting in front of the car
4 in which you were travelling?
5 A. I am sorry? I didn't hear you.
6 Q. You said:
7 "I definitely thought that one of them was going to
8 get knocked off. It was like a chase."
9 Were they actually passing in close proximity to the
10 car when they were carrying out this S-shaped manoeuvre?
11 A. Yes.
12 MR KEEN: Thank you, Ms Gribble. No further questions.
13 MR CROXFORD: No thank you, sir.
14 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Horwell.
15 Questions from MR HORWELL
16 MR HORWELL: Ms Gribble, my name is Richard Horwell and
17 I appear on behalf of the Chief of London Police.
18 A. Hello.
19 Q. I have very few questions to ask you.
20 A. Thank you.
21 Q. A matter of personal detail, I am afraid. We are having
22 to ask these questions because of certain allegations
23 that have been made. I hope you understand.
24 A. Yes.
25 Q. It's simply this: you have said that you saw Diana with
28
1 contraceptive pills on the third cruise. You also saw
2 them on the second, didn't you?
3 A. Yes.
4 Q. Thank you. I would like to ask you a little, please,
5 about press attention and the effect that that had on
6 everybody on the Jonikal, in particular Dodi and Diana.
7 A. Yes.
8 Q. In your statement, you said that:
9 "The press were around the whole time. To start
10 with Dodi seemed to get a bit of a kick out of it, but
11 as time went on, he was getting annoyed. I think that
12 Dodi wanted to get rid of the paparazzi because they
13 were distressing Diana. I saw her in tears a couple of
14 times because of this."
15 Does that accurately summarise the effect that the
16 press were having --
17 A. Yes.
18 Q. -- on Dodi and Diana during this third cruise?
19 A. Yes, yes, I believe it did.
20 Q. Was the pressure from the press increasing as the third
21 cruise continued?
22 A. Yes, it was.
23 Q. In your statement -- and this is at page 8 if you would
24 like to have it in front of you, page 8 of your
25 statement.
29
1 A. Yes.
2 Q. You deal with the final stages of this third cruise. It
3 is towards the top of the page:
4 "I left 'Jonikal' in the tender with Dodi and Diana.
5 The others had gone on ahead. When we docked we got
6 into cars and began the journey to the airport. There
7 was an atmosphere and you could sense a lot of tension
8 in the air. I think it was because of all the press
9 intrusion. Dodi was a bit edgy, a bit uptight."
10 Then you describe flying to Paris; yes?
11 A. Yes.
12 Q. Again, is that an accurate summary of this part of the
13 journey?
14 A. Yes, yes, it is, definitely.
15 Q. Your statement continues that:
16 "The flight was quite relaxed, but when we arrived,
17 the atmosphere was different."
18 So this is now in Paris?
19 A. Yes.
20 Q. "Everything seemed rushed and this rushing around
21 created a feeling of tension. On arrival there were two
22 cars waiting with French drivers."
23 You describe how some got into the Mercedes and you
24 and others got into the Range Rover.
25 A. Yes.
30
1 Q. You then go on in your statement to describe the quite
2 scary driving of Henri Paul back into Paris.
3 A. Yes, that's right.
4 Q. You have been asked many questions about that driving.
5 I am not going to ask you further about it, other than
6 this. Does your statement continue in this way?
7 "I have been asked about the atmosphere on the third
8 cruise. I would say that the tension was noticeable
9 throughout the trip and increased as time wore on. By
10 the time we went to Paris, there was real tension. It
11 was incredible. It was all so tense. Looking back at
12 that afternoon and the journey we had from the airport
13 in Paris, I am not surprised that an accident happened
14 as it did later that night."
15 Was that your view when you made this statement?
16 A. Yes, yes, it was.
17 Q. Explaining to the officers as best you could of the
18 impact and intensity of this tension created by the
19 press?
20 A. Yes, that's right, yes. Yes. It's what I felt at the
21 time.
22 Q. Only a few more questions. Rene Delorm. You have
23 already said that he was something of a gossip, and did
24 you say in your statement that if Rene had had any
25 information at all about even a possible engagement
31
1 between Dodi and Diana, he could not have kept that to
2 himself?
3 A. Yes, I am sure he would have said something to us.
4 Q. Did Rene Delorm ever say anything to you about even
5 a possible engagement between Dodi and Diana?
6 A. No, no, he never mentioned anything like that at all.
7 MR HORWELL: Thank you. That's all I ask.
8 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Mr Hough?
9 MR HOUGH: Sir, I have no further questions. Thank you very
10 much, Ms Gribble, for giving evidence at rather a late
11 hour by videolink.
12 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Thank you, Ms Gribble. We are
13 very grateful to you for putting yourself out at what
14 is, for you, a very late hour. That's all that's
15 required of you. Thank you.
16 A. You are welcome.
17 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: For the reasons that I indicated
18 at the sitting of the Court, that's as far as we are
19 going today and we resume tomorrow at 10 o'clock.
20 MR HOUGH: Sir, just before you rise, there is one matter to
21 raise. I have been informed by representatives of
22 Mr Al Fayed that they would have no objection to the
23 statement of Ms Yu being read tomorrow. May I just
24 check whether anybody else would have any objection to
25 that course if that were a course that recommended
32
1 itself to you sir?
2 MR HORWELL: I can't believe we will have objection. Can we
3 discuss this once you have risen?
4 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Certainly. It does reminds me
5 that I did mean to enquire whether there was any
6 prospect of Father Parsons' evidence being read, which
7 was quite short.
8 MR HOUGH: It looks as though he can be read as well.
9 MR HORWELL: Of course.
10 LORD JUSTICE SCOTT BAKER: Very well. 10 o'clock then.
11 (10.12 am)
12 (The court adjourned until 10.00 am on Thursday,
13 20th December 2007)
14
33
1 INDEX
2 PAGE
3 MS DEBORAH GRIBBLE (sworn) ....................... 3
4
5 Questions from MR HOUGH ................... 3
6
7 Questions from MR MANSFIELD ............... 22
8
9 Questions from MR KEEN .................... 24
10
11 Questions from MR HORWELL ................ 28
12
13
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