Di inquest near to conclusion

London, March 15 : The six-month inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and her lover Dodi al Fayed is nearing its end, it has been revealed.

A spokesman for the coroner has confirmed that the hearing at the London High Court is expected to hear its final witness next week.

French pharmacist Dr Veronique Dumestre-Toulet, who conducted tests on driver Henri Paul's blood, is due to be the last person to face cross-examination when she gives evidence by video link on March 18.

The inquest, which is presided by an 11-person jury, has heard evidence of more than 240 witnesses since its commencement in October last year, reports The Sun.

After legal representations from lawyers for the various interested parties, the coroner Lord Justice Scott Baker will sum up the evidence before the jury finally retires to consider its verdicts.

The hearings finally got under way more than 10 years after the crash in the Alma Underpass in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997, in which Diana and Dodi were killed.

ANI