Frenchman who 'heard Diana's dying words' exposed as a common thief

London, Nov 02 (ANI): A Frenchman who allegedly heard Princess Diana's dying words and gave evidence in court as a key witness has been exposed as a career criminal.

Abdelatif Redjil, 54, who claims he held her hand as she repeated words like 'My God, My God' following a collision in the Alma Tunnel, was a key witness throughout the long investigation into the death of the Princess in a Paris car crash in 1997.

He also claimed that he have heard paparazzi accusing each other of causing the accident - allegations which eventually saw a London jury partially attribute blame for the crash on the photographers.

However, Redjil's entire story is being questioned when his long career as a criminal was exposed.

He was given a five year suspended sentence with two years suspended in September for stealing two Picasso paintings worth 45 million pounds from the home of Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the artist's granddaughter.

He then escaped and, while on the run, stole thousands of pounds from cash machines all over Paris

Redjil was finally re-arrested on while trying to break open an ATM in the suburb of Colombes and is also thought to have masterminded a 30,000 pounds heist at an Axa bank.

'It was during questioning that his part in the Diana saga came to light. He gave evidence, which has been reported as fact for years, but nobody knew anything about his life as a criminal. Redjil is a break-in expert who can enter a secure building without leaving any trace at all. He's also brilliant at opening locks,' the Daily Mail quoted a police source in Paris.

Diana's death led to numerous conspiracy theories, before exhaustive British and French investigations concluded that Paul's drunk driving was the main reason for the crash.

Redjil's claims about Diana were always largely accepted as true, although there was no tangible evidence to back them up, and they will now be viewed with some scepticism.