Diana driver may not have been drunk

Toxicologist Gilbert Pepin and forensic pathologist Dominique Lecomte are accused of performing the tests so badly that it will be impossible to claim Paul was drunk at the time of the crash.

Lecomte testified on oath that she took three blood samples from Paul. But a log book shows five samples were taken, suggesting extra samples may have been wrongly attributed to Paul. She faces criticism for a number of lapses, including allowing blood samples taken from Paul8217;s body to remain in an unguarded refrigerator for 24 hours, allowing samples to be stored alongside others belonging to different people and not taking DNA samples from Paul which would prove the blood was his.

There is a continuing court case in France against the two medical experts, the paper said. Both have refused to attend the Diana inquest which opens on October 2.

Holes in the evidence against Paul have already been acknowledged by new coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker. 8220;I have sympathy for the position of Henri Paul8217;s family, from what I have read so far,8221; Baker said last week.

Agents from Britain8217;s MI5 and French intelligence have also been linked to Diana8217;s death. The question now being asked is: 8220;Were blood samples from Paul swapped to make it appear he was responsible?8221;