LONDON, Nov 18: UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel has declared that a public
inquiry will be held into the death of British woman Dawn Sturgess, who died
after coming into contact with Soviet-developed nerve agent Novichok in 2018.
The Government has authorized a public inquiry to examine any possible Russian
involvement in the death.
Dawn Sturgess, 44, and her partner, Charlie Rowley, had collapsed in Amesbury
in in Wiltshire, southwest England, after coming into contact with a discarded
fake perfume bottle containing Novichok, a military grade nerve agent. Sturgess
died in July 2018, but her partner survived. It has been reported that they
came into contact with the bottle accidentally.
The coroner who held the inquest into Sturgess's death, Heather Hallett, had
said in September that a public inquiry is needed for a fair investigation.
A public inquiry is more comprehensive than investigation. The public inquiry
will allow judges to examine more evidence than in an inquest, like Soviet involvement.
Patel said the inquiry would be done "as soon as is reasonably possible in 2022."
"I hope this inquiry will bring comfort to (Ms. Sturgess's family and others
affected) through a greater understanding of the circumstances of Ms. Sturgess's
death and recognize the bravery and resilience of those who responded," Patel
said in a letter to the coroner.
Three months before Sturgess's death, Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his
daughter had taken ill due to Novichok contact in Salisbury, a nearby town.
An ex-police officer Nick Bailey was also targeted but all the three survived.
Three Russian men working for Russia's military intelligence service, GRU, were
identified and charged for Skripal poisoning. They are Denis Sergeev, Alexander
Mishkin and Anatoliy Chepiga. They were in the UK under their aliases: Sergey
Fedotov, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. They said: 'We were just tourists.'
Novichok traces were found in the hotel in London where they stayed before
visiting Skripals. After the incident they had flown back to Moscow. They had
smeared Novichok on the door handle of Skripal's home with a view to eliminating
him. The UK has no extradition treaty with Russia.
How the fake perfume bottle brought from Russia found its way to Amesbury is
not confirmed so far.
Recently, Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poioned with Novichok
while he was campaigning in the election in Serbia.
Novichok is a chemical weapon that enters the body through the skin instantly.
It is more powerful than sarin and other volatile nerve agents. Novichok binds
to acetylcholinesterase. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that breaks down
the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The result is the neurotransmitter builds
up, leading to convulsions, paralysis and respiratory arrest.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has supported the
UK's efforts.