Initial Police Inquiries Dismissed Claims of Ex-Spy in Novichok Area

Law enforcement officers probing the nerve agent attack on a former Russian intelligence officer received assurances that he did not reside in the vicinity and that their concerns were “overreacting.” In 2018, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were discovered unconscious on a bench in Salisbury city centre, having been exposed to Novichok. The ongoing inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess heard that officers identified the individuals by conducting a Google search for Mr Skripal’s name. According to testimony at the inquiry, an email dated April 2021 from Wiltshire Police Inspector Gill Hughes indicated that the national security unit Special Branch had been “very dismissive” of the details concerning Mr Skripal’s poisoning, which had been supplied by the force’s control room. Counter-terrorism police additionally informed Wiltshire Police that they were “not aware” of Mr Skripal residing in Salisbury and that they “were not taking any further action.” The inquiry, convening in London, was established to investigate the demise of Ms Sturgess, who died after being poisoned with the nerve agent unwittingly administered by her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley. Previously, Det Sgt Nick Bailey, another officer who suffered poisoning from the nerve agent, testified at the inquiry that Novichok made him feel “hot” and “freaking out.” His contamination occurred in March 2018 in Salisbury, after the nerve agent was applied to the door handle of former Russian spy Mr Skripal. During her questioning of Mr Bailey regarding his memory of the events, Francesca Whitelaw, counsel to the inquiry, asked: “It is fair to say the poisoning had a very significant mental and physical impact on you?” Commencing his testimony, Mr Bailey stated: “My recollection of the events of March 2018 is hazy at best. “I spent a lot of time dealing with it when it happened and dealing with the aftermath of it, processing it, and I got to a point where the only way for me to kind of move on from it was to stop thinking about it and to close it off. “So it’s been some time since I have actually had to then go back to those events – so yes, my memory of the incident isn’t the best.” Mr Bailey recounted a colleague contacting the control room to report that “a Russian spy has been poisoned.” He remarked: “It is not something that I had heard before and it’s not something I had thought I would ever hear again.” “It was a bizarre incident. “I remember thinking ‘I will never hear that phrase on a Wiltshire Police radio again’.” Subsequently, Mr Bailey was requested to describe his entry into Mr Skripal’s residence, itemizing every object he touched inside the property. He further described the overnight exacerbation of his symptoms following the poisoning. He stated: “Overnight, I would describe it as getting a lot worse. “I went down at around five in the morning because I was freaking out a little and my vision was impaired. “Once I turned the lights on, everything was crystal clear and it was juddered as opposed to being a smooth motion of looking around. “It was almost in frames – it was quite scary.” Lord Hughes, the inquiry chairman, concluded Mr Bailey’s testimony by remarking: “I am very conscious you have had to relive a very nasty experience but it was necessary and thank you for doing it.” The inquiry remains ongoing. BBC Sounds: Salisbury Poisonings Stay informed about the latest developments from the inquiry through our podcast. Access the episode on BBC Sounds. Connect with BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Submit your story concepts to us via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Learn about our external linking policy.