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Nick Squires

Sydney
They were words which chillingly brought to mind the death of Princess Diana in Paris a decade ago.
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman told a court this week how she was reduced to tears after her car was chased  through the streets of Sydney by a local paparazzo.
The Australian star of Moulin Rouge and The Hours said she was 'really, really scared' when Jamie Fawcett pursued her almost three years ago as she was being driven to her parents' house.
Fawcett's high-speed chase not only frightened  Kidman, it also dismayed Sydney's other paparazzi.
It may confound the popular image of the leather-jacketed, unscrupulous celebrity snapper, but the godfather of Sydney's paparazzi insists there is no reason why they should not try to behave like gentlemen.
'Fawcett gives us a bad name. I have half a dozen blokes working for me and none of them ever gets into high-speed car chases,' said British-born Peter Carrette, who moved to Australia from Fleet Street 40 years ago.
'They're not bounty hunters or cowboys. We don't chase people when they're in cars with their children; we don't bug them or spy on their backyards.'
Paparazzi were just beginning to recover from the damage done to their image by the 1997 death of Princess Diana, who was killed in car crash  while being pursued through a tunnel by celebrity photographers.
Carrette, 60, said the Kidman case, which is being played out this week in court, had put them almost back to square one. He tries to get on side with his 'targets' by  making goodwill gestures.
'Every time Nicole comes home to Sydney, we send her a big bunch of flowers. A couple of days later her publicity people call up and arrange a photo opportunity. If they play the game, then we play the game.'
About 20 full-time paparazzi make a living in Sydney, which is regarded as a small but lucrative offshoot of the London and Los Angeles celebrity scenes.
'Competition is ferocious,' said Frank Thorne, a British journalist who works for the London tabloids.
'If they get a good set of pictures, they play magazines off against each other - New Idea versus Woman's Day. A decent set of pictures will bring in A$50,000 (HK$344,900). If you've got a killer set then you'd be looking at A$250,000.'
One of the most sought after photographs of recent years was of Russell Crowe's newborn baby. The freelancer who eventually snatched the shot is reputed to have earned more than A$300,000. Not bad for a day's work.
But the life comes at a price. Carrette has been through four marriages and says he now 'goes to bed' with his mobile phone.
Sydney's paparazzi are enjoying a golden era as a result of the burgeoning  number of Australians who have made it big in Tinsel Town, including Cate Blanchett,  Russell Crowe,  Hugh Jackman,  Naomi Watts  and Heath Ledger.
Members of the public who snap their favourite star out on a dinner date or misbehaving in a nightclub can sell their shots to a professional agency, which then sells them on to newspapers and magazines - after taking a cut of course.



Lone lensman gives paparazzi a bad name