Paparazzi 'obstructed Diana police'

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Eyewitness Clifford Goorovadoo said: "It is true that when the first police officers arrived the journalists would not let them through. They were pushing."

Mr Goorovadoo, a chauffeur, was parked down the road from the 1997 Alma Tunnel crash in Paris.

Alerted by the "roar of a car engine" Mr Goorovadoo looked up and spotted a motorcycle in hot pursuit of a Mercedes which was carrying Diana, the hearing heard.

The pillion passenger on the motorbike was taking photographs just before the Mercedes crashed, according to Mr Goorovadoo. He was not certain if a flash gun was being used. There was "a tremendous noise" moments later and Mr Goorovadoo rushed to help the victims.

It is believed that Mr Goorovadoo has refused to appear at the central London inquest, but the hearing heard evidence from his police statements made at the time.

Mr Goorovadoo told police he saw photographers taking pictures of the car.

But he added: "At no stage did they come to the aide of the injured. They just took photographs of the scene. I think that the emergency services might have arrived sooner if they had just called them."

He also told the French detectives: "When I was holding the head of one of the injured people I heard the photographers arguing about the best shots. I turned around and shouted at them that they had better things to do."

All of the paparazzi who were on the scene that night have refused to appear at the inquest. Their police statements are being read to the jury.