An inquiry into the death of a British woman who came into contact with a bottle of toxic agent used in the attempted assassination of a Russian defector and his daughter has found it contained enough poison to kill thousands.
Dawn Sturgess died after the bottle of deadly Novichok disguised as perfume was given to her by her partner who found the discarded bottle in a bin in the UK city of Salisbury.
The poison had earlier been used to try and kill Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia who were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city in March 2018 after Novichok was smeared on the front door handle of his home.
Police believe the same bottle had been used by Russian intelligence operatives to smuggle the poison into the country.
The Skripals, and a police officer who went to Skripal’s house, were left critically ill from the effects of the military-grade nerve agent, but recovered, as did Sturgess’s partner Charlie Rowley.
The poison had earlier been used to try and kill Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia who were found slumped unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city in March 2018 after Novichok was smeared on the front door handle of his home.
Police believe the same bottle had been used by Russian intelligence operatives to smuggle the poison into the country.
The Skripals, and a police officer who went to Skripal’s house, were left critically ill from the effects of the military-grade nerve agent, but recovered, as did Sturgess’s partner Charlie Rowley.
As the inquiry reveals, Sturgess was caught in the “crossfire” of an international assassination attempt.
“A particularly shocking feature of Dawn’s death is that she unwittingly applied the poison to her own skin,” Skripal wrote in a statement read out by Andrew O'Connor, the lawyer to the public inquiry. “She was entirely unaware of the mortal danger she faced, because the highly toxic liquid had been concealed - carefully and deliberately concealed - inside a perfume bottle.
But as pointless as the death of the 44-year-old mother of three was, the scope of the tragedy could have been much greater.
O’Connor said: “This bottle - which we shall hear contained enough poison to kill thousands of people - must earlier have been left somewhere in a public place creating the obvious risk that someone would find it and take it home.”
“You may conclude, sir, that those who discarded the bottle in this way acted with a grotesque disregard for human life,” O’Connor told former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, who is chairing the inquiry.
The Skripals were not present to testify in person, as Hughes ruled last month that there was an “overwhelming risk” they still faced physical attack if they could be identified and their current whereabouts revealed.
British police have charged in absentia three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, over the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter, although no formal case has been brought against them over the death of Sturgess.
The inquiry into her death, which follows a police investigation and lengthy legal steps that are required beforehand, is having its initial hearings in Salisbury.
“It needs to be said that the object of this inquiry is to start with a clean sheet, without making any assumptions about the accuracy of what has been said before, whether by public figures or otherwise,” Hughes said.
O’Connor said the inquiry would take full account of the Russian response to the British accusations, saying questions around possible Russian State responsibility were “of the utmost public concern.”
The inquiry will hear some confidential evidence in secret from the UK security services, including details of Skripal’s relationship with British intelligence agencies.
Skripal has not spoken publicly since the attack, but in his statement read out during the inquiry into Sturgess’s death, he said that he, like the British government, blamed Putin, although the former spy said he had no concrete evidence for his accusation.
“I believe Putin makes all important decisions himself. I therefore think he must have at least given permission for the attack on Yulia and me,” Skripal said in the statement.
Skripal disclosed he had no warning his life was in danger at the time, and said he was aware of allegations that Putin, who he said he knew personally, had been involved in illegal activity to do with the disposal of rare metals.
“I have read that Putin is personally very interested in poison and likes reading books about it,” his statement said.
The incident led to the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War, and relations between London and Moscow have since deteriorated further following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Two of the Russians accused by Britain of carrying out the poisoning later appeared on Russian TV to deny involvement, saying they had been innocent tourists visiting the city’s cathedral. All three men have denied any involvement.
“A particularly shocking feature of Dawn’s death is that she unwittingly applied the poison to her own skin,” Skripal wrote in a statement read out by Andrew O'Connor, the lawyer to the public inquiry. “She was entirely unaware of the mortal danger she faced, because the highly toxic liquid had been concealed - carefully and deliberately concealed - inside a perfume bottle.
‘Enough poison to kill thousands’
But as pointless as the death of the 44-year-old mother of three was, the scope of the tragedy could have been much greater.
O’Connor said: “This bottle - which we shall hear contained enough poison to kill thousands of people - must earlier have been left somewhere in a public place creating the obvious risk that someone would find it and take it home.”
“You may conclude, sir, that those who discarded the bottle in this way acted with a grotesque disregard for human life,” O’Connor told former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, who is chairing the inquiry.
The Skripals were not present to testify in person, as Hughes ruled last month that there was an “overwhelming risk” they still faced physical attack if they could be identified and their current whereabouts revealed.
British police have charged in absentia three Russians, who they say are GRU military intelligence officers, over the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter, although no formal case has been brought against them over the death of Sturgess.
The inquiry into her death, which follows a police investigation and lengthy legal steps that are required beforehand, is having its initial hearings in Salisbury.
“It needs to be said that the object of this inquiry is to start with a clean sheet, without making any assumptions about the accuracy of what has been said before, whether by public figures or otherwise,” Hughes said.
O’Connor said the inquiry would take full account of the Russian response to the British accusations, saying questions around possible Russian State responsibility were “of the utmost public concern.”
The inquiry will hear some confidential evidence in secret from the UK security services, including details of Skripal’s relationship with British intelligence agencies.
FSB hitmen in Salisbury
Skripal has not spoken publicly since the attack, but in his statement read out during the inquiry into Sturgess’s death, he said that he, like the British government, blamed Putin, although the former spy said he had no concrete evidence for his accusation.
“I believe Putin makes all important decisions himself. I therefore think he must have at least given permission for the attack on Yulia and me,” Skripal said in the statement.
Skripal disclosed he had no warning his life was in danger at the time, and said he was aware of allegations that Putin, who he said he knew personally, had been involved in illegal activity to do with the disposal of rare metals.
“I have read that Putin is personally very interested in poison and likes reading books about it,” his statement said.
The incident led to the biggest East-West diplomatic expulsions since the Cold War, and relations between London and Moscow have since deteriorated further following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Two of the Russians accused by Britain of carrying out the poisoning later appeared on Russian TV to deny involvement, saying they had been innocent tourists visiting the city’s cathedral. All three men have denied any involvement.
Russia has also repeatedly rejected British accusations that it was involved. The Russian embassy in London said last week the British foreign ministry’s “references to the alleged use of the mythical Novichok are quite preposterous.”
The Kremlin has previously been accused of attempting to bump off other Putin critics and perceived enemies of the state.
Refutations by the Russian diplomats, however, require accepting that Putin’s known critics and enemies seem to be extraordinarily likely to be victims of accidental poisonings.
In the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, candidate Viktor Yushchenko was severely disfigured after being poisoned with dioxin, but survived to become head of state. Two years later, former FSB agent and defector Alexander Litvinenko died after being poisoned with radioactive polonium given to him in a cup of tea.
Alexei Navalny, a vocal critic of Putin, died in a prison camp earlier this year after surviving a 2020 poisoning attempt.
The Kremlin has previously been accused of attempting to bump off other Putin critics and perceived enemies of the state.
Refutations by the Russian diplomats, however, require accepting that Putin’s known critics and enemies seem to be extraordinarily likely to be victims of accidental poisonings.
In the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, candidate Viktor Yushchenko was severely disfigured after being poisoned with dioxin, but survived to become head of state. Two years later, former FSB agent and defector Alexander Litvinenko died after being poisoned with radioactive polonium given to him in a cup of tea.
Alexei Navalny, a vocal critic of Putin, died in a prison camp earlier this year after surviving a 2020 poisoning attempt.
More In Society MORE...
