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Burrell may face perjury probe over court 'lies'
Police are now actively considering whether to prosecute Diana's butler Paul Burrell for perjury, a spokesman said last night.
The servant-turned-reality television star was publicly branded a "liar" by the coroner, Lord Justice Scott Baker, as he summed up the case last week.
Mr Burrell – famously called Diana's "rock" – was mocked as a "porous rock" given his publishing record.
But it was only after he gave evidence over three gruelling days in the witness box in January that he found his honesty called into question.
Having returned to the US, Mr Burrell was secretly recorded in a New York hotel admitting he had not told the "whole truth", adding: "I was very naughty, and I laid a couple of red herrings."
Speaking openly about the possibility of perjury – which he denied – Mr Burrell conceded that he had lost his integrity.
The coroner subsequently demanded that he return to explain himself but Mr Burrell refused, sending a statement in which he claimed he had simply been drunk and showing off.
A spokesman for the coroner said it was not within his remit to investigate perjury.
During the inquest, Scotland Yard said any action it would take around allegations of perjury "would not be dealt with until conclusion of the inquests".
But last night a Metropolitan Police spokesman said they were "fully aware" of the evidence against Mr Burrell and, while it was "too early" to say he would be prosecuted, the matter "would be addressed in the near future".
Scotland Yard said later no immediate decision would be made on whether to pursue a perjury investigation.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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