Ex-police chief welcomes verdicts

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Standing on the steps of the High Court, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner said "very hurtful" allegations had been made.

Lord Stevens said the verdicts reflected "exactly" what he said in his report into Diana and Dodi Fayed's deaths.

Lord Stevens led the Met's three-and-a-half-year Operation Paget inquiry, which looked into allegations that there was a conspiracy to murder Diana and Mr Fayed.

In an apparent reference to Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed al Fayed, the former top policeman expressed a hope that the jury's "clear" verdict would be accepted by everyone involved.

Lord Stevens said: "For my part, I'm rather pleased in terms of the Paget team that this is a justification of the report that we did.

"I want to emphasise that the report and the inquiry was all about looking at the conspiracy theories, which of course we hopefully laid to rest, and then secondly assisting the coroner in the court.

"There have been a number of allegations which have been unfortunate. Those allegations have been very hurtful to those people who had a job to do, and very hurtful also to those people who had to give evidence. I just hope that this can bring closure to what has been a traumatic event for a lot of people."

Scotland Yard Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson said the investigations into the crash in the Alma underpass in Paris in August 1997 had been "extensive and thorough".

Standing alongside Lord Stevens, he said: "I think we now have to soberly reflect upon a clear verdict, and wish and hope that this now brings some sort of closure to this matter so that people can go back to grieving in private and remembering in private."