Novichok poisonings inquiry set to open in Salisbury

The inquiry into how a British woman was fatally poisoned after being exposed to the Russian nerve agent Novichok is set to open on Monday.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the chemical weapon which was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.

It followed the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year.

They were poisoned when members of a Russian military intelligence squad are believed to have smeared the nerve agent on Mr Skripal’s door handle.

All three survived, as did Ms Sturgess’s boyfriend Charlie Rowley, who had unwittingly given her the bottle containing the killer nerve agent.

An international arrest warrant was issued for three Russian men thought to be involved in the attacks on British soil, but as the Russian constitution does not allow the extradition of its citizens it is unlikely they will ever stand trial.

Two suspects gave an interview with Russian state media in which they said they were only in the UK, briefly, to visit Salisbury Cathedral.

It was previously revealed that the Skripals will not give evidence at the inquiry over fears for their safety.

It comes as Wiltshire Police said people in Salisbury city centre can expect to see an increased police presence for the duration of the hearing.

They added that there is “no current intelligence to suggest there is any risk to the wider public”.

In June, a preliminary hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice heard that the Sturgess family wanted the Skripals to give oral evidence to address “unanswered questions”.

They were, however, excused from doing so in a subsequent ruling, with the relevant judgment citing an “overwhelming risk” of another physical attack on their lives.

The then-Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered that the inquest into Ms Sturgess’s death be converted into a public inquiry in 2021.

The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes of Ombersley, is due to begin at The Guildhall in Salisbury on Monday.