Rees 'pressured' to remember crash

Dodi Fayed's former bodyguard told her inquest in central London he "did not feel comfortable" being in the Harrods boss's presence when the suggestion was put to him.

The jury has heard that Mr al Fayed believes the crash in Paris's Alma Tunnel in the early hours of August 31, 1997 was not an accident but a murder plot orchestrated by MI6 at the behest of the Duke of Edinburgh.

He is said to believe that a blinding flash of light from a stun gun caused driver Henri Paul to lose control - rather than him being over the drink-drive limit or going too fast.

Mr Rees (formerly known as Rees-Jones), who was in the front passenger seat of the car, survived but suffered horrific injuries. The court has heard that he has lost almost all memory of the journey despite some apparent flashbacks which he now thinks were "false memories".

Mr al Fayed has accused him of lying about his memory loss. But on Wednesday, in a dramatic exchange, Mr al Fayed's lawyer, Michael Mansfield QC, was forced by Lord Justice Scott Baker to withdraw the allegations. However there has been no apology.

Under cross-examination by Richard Horwell QC, for the Metropolitan Police, Mr Rees was asked what pressures he felt at the time.

"I personally felt, at that stage, I felt the pressure to remember what had occurred," he said. "In my meetings with him he would suggest possibilities, (to which) I would reply 'That's a possibility'."

Asked by Mr Horwell what "possibilities" had been suggested, he went on: "One I specifically remember was a flash in the tunnel which caused the accident. I would say 'That is a possibility'.

Mr Horwell asked if he had always done his best to tell nothing but the truth, Mr Rees replied: "Throughout. That's what I believe I have done."