MARTIN Bashir is “responsible” for Diana’s death by making her paranoid, Earl Spencer’s ex-bodyguard has claimed.
Alan Waller, the former head of security for Diana’s brother, has broken his silence 25 years after Bashir’s interview with the princess.
Bashir and the BBC have been accused of deceit ahead of the 1995 Panorama interview.
Mr Waller, 57, told the Telegraph: “This man [Bashir] has become a multi-millionaire by using me. I am the fall guy.
“Bashir has effectively stolen my identity, stolen my banking information, and then used it to frame me as the fall guy.
“That is exactly what he has done. He has framed me thinking I would never find out. It has had a devastating effect on me.”
Bashir asked a BBC graphic artist to mock up bogus bank statements that purported to show two payments to Mr Waller from a newspaper and an off-shore company that looked like a front for MI5.
It is claimed he used the documents to persuade Earl Spencer his staff were spying on Diana so he could ultimately gain access to his sister.
Mr Waller went so far as to blame the BBC man for Diana’s death in a Paris car crash in 1997.
“Bashir has planted the whole idea of paranoia in Diana’s head,” he said.
“Bashir is ultimately responsible for her demise. Two boys lost their mother. Bashir robbed them of their childhoods, robbed them of their mother and robbed me of a normal life.”
Mr Waller, a former British Army paratrooper and ex-US Marine, said he now plans to sue both the BBC and Bashir, as well as making a complaint to cops.
He said he had to stay in America to avoid being “chased down” over false suggestions he was working with Bashir.
He added: “I never received any money from Bashir or the companies mentioned. But for some people I am the guy who sold her [Diana] out.
“Imagine how that will affect you. It tainted me in a very bad way. I was tarred with Bashir’s really dirty tricks.”
Bashir’s interview is shrouded in fresh controversy as an independent investigation has been launched.
There are claims that he used fake documents and false allegations to win Diana’s family’s trust.
Bashir had reportedly told Diana’s brother – falsely – that she was under surveillance and those close to her were plotting against her, all to make her feel increasingly paranoid.
This month, the BBC director general Tim Davie launched an independent inquiry into allegations the corporation used dirty tricks to clinch the landmark Panorama interview.
Earl Spencer alleged Bashir used forged bank statements to convince her to do the interview.
He said the alleged false documents wrongly showed that two senior courtiers were being paid by the security services for information on his sister.
Lord Dyson, one of the country’s most senior retired judges, has been appointed to lead the inquiry.
The BBC has faced warnings that it could become the corporation’s phone hacking scandal.
BBC chief Davie said: “The BBC is determined to get to the truth about these events and that is why we have commissioned an independent investigation.
“Lord Dyson is an eminent and highly respected figure who will lead a thorough process.”