BRITAIN: British police are considering legal action to enable them to destroy a book by Princess Diana's former bodyguard and deprive him of any profits, London's Evening Standard newspaper reported yesterday.
Mr Ken Wharfe's book, Diana: Closely Guarded Secret, was published this week to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the princess's death.
Scotland Yard lawyers are looking into the possibility of suing Mr Wharfe, an ex-detective, on the ground that he may have revealed operational police details that could compromise future royal protection operations, the paper said.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard would not comment on possible legal moves, but did not deny the report.
Scotland Yard lawyers are examining a precedent set by another British police force nine years ago.
In 1983, Greater Manchester Police confiscated all profits from a book written by a former detective, Mr Peter Topping, about the so-called Moors Murderers, the notorious serial child killers.
His lawyers settled out of court before the case came to trial, admitting Mr Topping had breached copyright and confidentiality.
The Evening Standard said police lawyers were trying to get permission to pulp all copies of Mr Wharfe's book and donate profits already made to charity. The book has already been serialised in a Sunday newspaper. - (Reuters)