Court acquits Diana photographer

Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed died on 31 August 1997

A British photographer charged with invading the privacy of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed has been cleared by a French criminal court.

Jason Fraser took pictures of the couple kissing on a yacht off the Italian Riviera just days before they died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The case had been brought by Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamed Al Fayed.

A judge in Paris reached a not guilty verdict but the full reasoning behind his ruling is yet to be made public.

The pictures of the couple on the yacht, owned by Mohamed Al Fayed, were taken off Portofino, Italy in August 1997.

Proceedings were able to take place in France because the photos were printed in British tabloids on sale in the country and they also featured in local publications.

Only Mr Fayed will know why he decided to expend such a great deal of time and money on throwing so much dirt at me. Jason Fraser

At a hearing in September, state prosecutor Alexandre Aubert suggested the boat amounted to "a private place in which two people were surprised in their intimacy".

After his acquittal Mr Fraser said: "Only Mr Fayed will know why he decided to expend such a great deal of time and money on throwing so much dirt at me.

"That he lost his son is indisputably a tragedy, but that he decided to pursue me relentlessly through the French courts as a consequence is nothing short of contemptible."

Prosecutors and Mr Al Fayed have the option of appealing against the verdict.