Watson's wife, Tina, died while scuba-diving off the Great Barrier Reef.

Alabama authorities have agreed to Queensland demands not to seek the death penalty for the former bubble-wrap salesman, who is serving a 12-month custodial sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter. The Watsons were on their honeymoon in 2003 when Tina died.

Yesterday, the Queensland Attorney-General, Cameron Dick, said the state's officials had advised police to provide the material, including scuba tanks and dive computers, to the US authorities as quickly as possible.