JOHN STAINTON - IRWIN DEATH FOOTAGE TO BE DESTROYED

Video footage showing tragic CROCODILE HUNTER STEVE IRWIN dying from a stingray barb to the chest has been destroyed now it's no longer needed by investigators. The footage of Irwin's last moments on 4 September last year (06) was used in a police report and coroner's investigation into his death, but the original copy has now been returned to Irwin's widow TERRI and all other copies have been destroyed. The tape, reportedly showing Irwin snorkelling above the stingray before it whipped its tail into him, had reportedly been the subject of a million dollar bidding war from several websites. Irwin's manager JOHN STAINTON said, "Anything to do with the day that he died, that film is not available." MICHAEL BARNES, the Australian coroner investigating the case, insisted he'd taken "all possible steps to ensure something of such a personal and tragic nature did not fall into the wrong hands". Irwin's last programme, OCEAN'S DEADLIEST, featuring footage shot in the week before Irwin's death, will be shown for the first time in the US on the Discovery Channel on 21 January (07).

07/01/2007 14:33