Former Chief Medical Officer Recalls Nightmares Following Spy Poisoning Incident

England’s former chief medical officer disclosed that she suffered nightmares concerning the possibility of someone encountering discarded nerve agent, following the poisoning of a former intelligence operative. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with Novichok in Salisbury during March 2018. These attempted killings preceded the death of Dawn Sturgess, aged 44, in July of the same year, after she came into contact with the chemical weapon, which had been left in a discarded perfume bottle. During the inquiry into Ms Sturgess’ death, it was revealed that Dame Sally Davies had expressed apprehension about individuals finding Novichok from the point she learned that “Russian agents had been involved” in the event. In her witness statement, presented to the inquiry by Francesca Whitelaw KC, Dame Sally articulated her concern “about the disposal by the foreign agents of any residual nerve agent.” She further stated that she had voiced her apprehension in at least one meeting. She subsequently felt reassured that law enforcement was actively searching for a discarded vial, including along the river in Salisbury, and that the Environment Agency would “monitor the unusual numbers of dead fish appearing in the river.” She concluded, “This led to me later saying publicly that no one should pick anything up which they had not dropped.” Dame Sally recounted attending a subsequent meeting where questions were posed regarding her statement and its potential to “panic the public.” She indicated that the discussion concluded with a consensus that, given her independence and experience, she was entitled to express what she deemed important. However, she noted that the sole documentation of her making this statement is her own statement from September, in which she referenced advice provided in March. Nevertheless, Jesse Nicholls, representing Ms Sturgess’ family, asserted that Dame Sally had stated she had issued the advice publicly, “because that obviously should have happened but it didn’t.” She responded: “No, you are trying to suggest there was a cover-up, there was no cover-up.” The inquiry additionally examined a letter, dated 16 March, from Dame Sally addressed to Sir Jeremy Heywood. This letter indicated that on March 7, following requests from No 10 and the Metropolitan Police, she had released a statement jointly with Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, declaring that the public health risk stemming from the incident was “low, based on the current evidence available.” The inquiry remains ongoing.