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Putin and perfume that could have killed thousands of people: five findings from the Novichok study

A public inquiry has found an “innocent” British woman may have been “caught in the crossfire” of an international assassination attempt.

Dawn Sturgess was fatally poisoned in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018 by the Russian nerve agent Novichok, which was hidden in a designer perfume bottle.

Her death followed the attempted murders of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March of the same year.

Mrs Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, died after applying the chemical weapon from the discarded perfume bottle to her skin.

The inquest into her death, which began at the Guildhall in Salisbury on Monday, was told there was “enough poison to kill thousands of people” in it.

The government’s counsel told the inquiry that she believes Ms Sturgess was the “innocent and unintended victim of a vicious, deliberate and reckless attack on Sergei Skripal”.

Here are five key details from the first day of the investigation.

Novichok perfume bottle ‘contained enough poison to kill thousands’

Dawn Sturgess died after applying poison to her own skin, believing it to be perfume, after her boyfriend Charlie Rowley unknowingly gifted her a bottle.

Mr Rowley also fell ill after he was accidentally poisoned when he applied the applicator to the perfume bottle before giving it to Mrs Sturgess. He was hospitalized but recovered, although he has suffered from long-term health problems including problems with his vision and memory, the inquest heard.

(FILES) An undated distribution photo released by Britain's Metropolitan Police in London on September 5, 2018, shows a counterfeit perfume box discovered by nerve agent victim Charlie Rowley, who later gave it, and the bottle inside, to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess. Dawn Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, died in July 2018 after being exposed to the Soviet-era nerve agent. Novichok unintentionally got caught in one "illegal and scandalous international assassination attempt"A public inquiry was told on October 14, 2024. At the start of the public hearings into Sturgess' death in Salisbury, investigating lawyer Andrew O'Connor said the perfume bottle contained enough Novichok to poison "thousands" of people. (Photo by METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT " AFP PHOTO / Metropolitan Police " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Getty Images)
The fake perfume box discovered by nerve agent victim Charlie Rowley, who later gave it, along with the bottle inside, to his girlfriend Dawn Sturgess (Photo: Metropolitan Police/AFP via Getty Images)

Although Ms Sturgess was the only fatality from the incident, concerns have been raised about the wider risk to the public, especially given the significant amount of nerve agent in the bottle and its presence in a public place.

The perfume bottle contained “enough poison to kill thousands of people,” the investigation said.

Andrew O’Connor KC, counsel to the inquiry, said: “A particularly shocking feature of Dawn’s death is that she unknowingly applied the poison to her own skin.

“She was completely unaware of the mortal danger she faced as the highly toxic liquid – carefully and deliberately concealed – was concealed in a perfume bottle.

“Furthermore, the evidence will suggest that this bottle – which we will hear contained enough poison to kill thousands of people – must have previously been left somewhere in a public place, creating a clear risk that someone would find it and take it home to take.

“You may conclude, sir, that those who disposed of the bottle in this manner acted with a grotesque disregard for human life.”

Putin was behind the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, research shows

Sergei and Yulia Skripal will not give live evidence to the public inquiry due to concerns for their safety, but statements made by the couple will be taken into consideration.

In a statement from Mr Skripal shown to the inquiry on Monday, he claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible for the poisonings.

“It’s my personal opinion,” a transcript of the police interview showed Skripal saying.

The British government believes the attack was carried out by agents of the Russian state, specifically members of the Russian intelligence unit the GRU.

The government also believes that the operation was approved by Putin.

In testimony to the inquiry, Jonathan Allen, a senior FCDO official, said the government believes Putin “approved the operation.”

Mr Straw added: “He should look Dawn’s family in the eye and answer the evidence against him.”

Ms Sturgess’ family also believe Putin was behind the poisoning and have called for him to be invited to testify.

Mr Skripal was previously a senior military intelligence officer in the GRU and was “a key asset, with high-level knowledge and intelligence” before coming to Britain, making him a “clear and obvious target of attack of Mr Putin. and his accomplices,” said Mr Mansfield KC.

Russia has denied any involvement in the poisonings and called the investigation a “circus”.

The victim’s symptoms were attributed to a drug overdose

Ms Sturgess’ family have accepted that her poisoning was unsurvivable and that differences in emergency care would not have saved her life, their lawyer Michael Mansfield KC told the inquiry.

However, one of the main questions Ms Sturgess’ family is seeking answers to is why her treatment differed from that of others poisoned by Novichok. They also want to identify any deficiencies in her care.

The three people who were poisoned in March 2018, as well as Ms Sturgess’ partner, Mr Rowley, survived.

Apparently based on police evidence, doctors initially theorized that Ms Sturgess’ symptoms were caused by a drug overdose, the inquest heard.

Her family would like to know if this theory was dismissed early enough and if lessons were learned from the Skripals’ poisoning regarding her treatment.

Wiltshire Police have apologized to the Sturgess family for wrongly identifying her condition as an overdose because she was a “known drug addict”, the investigation heard.

Michael Mansfield QC, counsel for the family of Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley, told the inquest the information was false and there was “no information that Dawn was a drug user”.

The inquest was previously told that Ms Sturgess had suffered from long-term alcohol dependence but had been ‘settled and happy’ in the months leading up to her death.

British authorities have failed to identify the risk Sergei Skripal faced

Mr Skripal was born in Russia and served as a paratrooper, and later as a member of the GRU – Russian Military Intelligence Service – the inquiry heard.

He was convicted in Russia in 2004 on espionage charges after allegedly spying for Britain, Mr O’Connor KC said.

Mr Skripal was sentenced to 13 years in prison, but in 2010 he was given a presidential pardon and taken to Britain in a prisoner exchange, he added.

He had lived in Salisbury since 2010.

The poisoning of Sergei Skripal “did not come out of the blue” and the threat that he could be attacked by the Russian state on British soil was “real, substantial and predictable”, Mansfield KC said.

“Why did the British authorities fail to identify the risk (Mr Skripal) faced? How was it possible that no protection was provided?

“These are central questions that are urgent and reveal a shocking indifference to public safety, which we have tried to highlight alongside the safety of Dawn itself,” he added.

CCTV footage shows Skripals’ pub visit on the day they were poisoned

The investigation showed CCTV footage of the day Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned.

It shows them parking their car in Salisbury, going to a pub and then leaving.

Handout issued by the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry into evidence seen during the investigation showing the movements of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia between 3:37 PM and 4:15 PM on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the Russian nerve agent 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. year. Date of issue: Monday, October 14, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story INVESTIGATE Amesbury. Photo credit should read as follows: The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry/PA Wire EDITOR'S NOTE: This handout photo may be used for editorial reporting purposes only for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts stated in the caption named. Reuse of the image may require further permission from the copyright holder.
CCTV footage shows the movements of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on Sunday, March 4, 2018: (Photo: The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry/PA Wire)

Photos show them walking back through the city and then sitting on the bench where they were later found by passers-by.

An ambulance was called when the public realized they were in distress, O’Connor said.

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