2018 Amesbury poisonings

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2018 Amesbury poisonings
Location Amesbury, Wiltshire, England
Date30 June 2018
Weapons A-234 (suspected chemical weapon used)
DeathsDawn Sturgess
(8 July 2018, aged 44, after being admitted to hospital)
InjuredCharlie Rowley
(45; admitted to hospital; discharged 20 July 2018)
CoronerHM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon

On 30 June 2018, in Amesbury, two British nationals, Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess, were admitted to Salisbury District Hospital in Wiltshire, England. Police determined that they were poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent of the same kind used in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, 8 miles (13 km) away, almost four months prior. [1] [2] [3] Sturgess died on 8 July, and Rowley regained consciousness two days later.

Contents

Hospital admissions and subsequent death of Sturgess

According to the subsequent press report released by the Metropolitan Police, at 10:15 on Saturday 30 June 2018, the South Western Ambulance Service was called to a residential address in Amesbury after Dawn Sturgess had collapsed. She was subsequently taken to hospital and admitted. At 15:30, the ambulance service was again called to that address, after Charlie Rowley had fallen ill. He was taken to hospital, and Wiltshire Police were informed of both admissions.

On 8 July, Sturgess died at Salisbury District Hospital after doctors took the decision to switch off her life support. [4] [5] On 10 July, Rowley regained consciousness and there was a "small but significant improvement to his condition" according to the hospital. [6] On 11 July, he was no longer in critical condition and the hospital downgraded his condition to "serious but stable". [7] The same day, officers from the investigation team spoke with Rowley. [7] He told his brother Matthew the nerve agent had been in a small perfume or aftershave bottle, which they had found in a park about nine days before spraying themselves with it. The police later closed and fingertip-searched Queen Elizabeth Gardens, a riverside park in central Salisbury, which the couple had visited the day before they fell ill. [8] The funeral of Sturgess took place at Salisbury crematorium on 30 July 2018. [9]

On 20 July, Rowley was discharged from the hospital. [10] Over the weekend of 18/19 August 2018, he was re-admitted to hospital with sight problems. [11] On 4 September 2018 he was reported to be ill with meningitis but was expected to leave hospital "within a month". [12]

Investigation

The incident was investigated by the Specialist Operations Directorate of the Metropolitan Police, assisted nationally by the National Counter Terrorism Policing Network and locally by Wiltshire Police, in a multi-agency response named Operation Fortis. [13] According to the Metropolitan Police, there was nothing in either of the victims' backgrounds to suggest that they were deliberately targeted, and there were no other reports of people presenting with similar symptoms. The couple was believed to have been near the roads that were sealed off during the investigation of the Skripal poisoning in Salisbury. [14]

During initial assessment, medical staff believed that the patients' illness was caused by the use of contaminated illegal drugs. But on 2 July, hospital staff had concerns over the symptoms the couple were displaying, and sent samples from both patients to the Government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down for analysis. On 4 July the laboratory confirmed that the patients had been exposed to the Novichok nerve agent. [2] [15]

According to BBC News, the "most likely hypothesis" was that the Novichok was left over from the attack on the Skripals, and that the contaminated item which poisoned the couple "could be a vial or syringe because of the couple's lifestyle", as it was believed the Novichok was disposed of "in a haphazard way". [16] Friends of the couple told The Guardian that Rowley frequently scavenged recycling bins for objects that he could sell, and that the couple's houses contained "loads of household things" they had picked up. [17]

Sites in both Amesbury and Salisbury which were believed to have been visited by the couple were cordoned off. These included the local Boots Pharmacy, the Baptist Centre, and Muggleton Road in Amesbury, and Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Salisbury. [15] Local residents were warned of an increased police presence, including officers wearing protective equipment. [15]

On 6 July, police announced that officers had identified and spoken to several key witnesses and were reviewing more than 1,300 hours of CCTV footage which has been collected so far. [18]

On 13 July a police cordon closed the north end of Rollestone Street, Salisbury to enable members of the Counter Terrorism Policing Network to search John Baker House, a hostel for the homeless where Dawn Sturgess lived. On 24 July the cordon was lifted and the police announced that no contamination was found in the hostel. [19]

The Metropolitan Police announced on 13 July 2018 [20] [21] that they had identified the source of the nerve agent that poisoned Sturgess and Rowley as being a "small bottle" discovered at Rowley's house in Amesbury, which was confirmed by analysis at DSTL Porton Down to contain Novichok. Matthew Rowley, brother of the victim, said Charlie told him that he had picked up "the perfume bottle". The Metropolitan Police refused to confirm this claim. [22]

Also on 13 July, the intergovernmental Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) received a request from the UK for technical assistance on the incident in Amesbury. The OPCW sent a team of specialists who collected samples and sent them to two laboratories. By 18 July, preliminary work was completed and the team left the UK. [23]

On 7 August 2018, the Foreign Office announced that OPCW experts would return to Amesbury to collect further samples. A spokesman said: "During their visit, the OPCW's experts will collect more samples to inform their work following their visit in July. The samples will be analysed at highly reputable international laboratories designated by the OPCW." [24] The poison was confirmed on 4 September by the OPCW to be the same kind of nerve agent as that used on the Skripals, but the OPCW also said that it could not determine if it was from the same batch. [25]

On 5 September 2018, Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said the police had "no doubt" that this incident was connected to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. He said, "we do not believe Dawn and Charlie were deliberately targeted, but became victims as a result of the recklessness in which such a toxic nerve agent was disposed of." [26] On the same date, the Metropolitan Police released a detailed description of the Salisbury poisoning and named Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov as the suspects wanted. [27] The announcement went on to state that the investigation into the Amesbury poisoning was ongoing by the Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, and further charges relating to Sturgess and Rowley would follow. [28] [ needs update ]

Inquest and Inquiry

Logo of the inquiry Dawn Sturgess Inquiry Logo.png
Logo of the inquiry

The inquest for Sturgess was opened and adjourned by HM Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon in Salisbury on 19 July 2018, with a Pre-Inquest Review listed for 16 January 2019. [29] [30] This was delayed, in part because the Crown Prosecution Service requested a suspension in view of the ongoing criminal investigation. [31] The Senior Coroner, David Ridley, issued a 31-page ruling [31] on the scope of the inquest on 20 December 2019, but no date for the full inquest was given. [32] A preliminary hearing was held in March 2023. The UK government said that the delay in conducting the inquest was due to its desire to redact evidence to protect national security. Sturgess' family expressed disappointment at the delay and requested that the government release some of the material related to Sturgess' death.

The "much delayed" inquiry began on 14 October 2024, led by Lord Hughes of Ombersley and starting with a hearing at the Guildhall in Salisbury. [33] [34] [35]

Government response

On 5 July 2018, Home Secretary Sajid Javid chaired a meeting of the COBR committee to discuss the incident. [36] In the House of Commons later that day, Javid stated the most likely hypothesis was that the Novichok was in an item discarded after the Skripal attack. He accused Russia of using Britain as a "dumping ground for poison". [37]

Interview with Rowley

Rowley gave an interview to ITV News on 24 July 2018, stating that he believed a sealed box of a recognisable brand of perfume, which he had found and given to Sturgess, was the source of the Novichok. His partner became sick "within 15 minutes" of spraying the "oily substance" onto her wrists before rubbing them together, under the assumption that it was perfume. [38] [39] [40] He also stated that he came into contact with the chemical agent after some tipped onto his hands while attaching the plastic spray dispenser to the bottle, but had washed his hands soon after. They had used a knife to open the sealed packaging. [38] [39]

Fate of flat

In June 2020 it was announced that the flat the poisonings happened in, together with the one below it, would be demolished. [41] Both Dawn Sturgess’ family and partner supported the demolition and liked the idea of it being turned into a green space. [41] Dawn's father, Stan Sturgess, said "It’s a shame that it is being lost but I can imagine that people wouldn’t want to live there." [41] Rowley said "I think it's for the best. There would always be a stigma around it." [41]

Related Research Articles

Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Nerve agents are irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors used as poison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amesbury</span> Town in Wiltshire, England

Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is known for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is within the parish. The town is claimed to be the oldest occupied settlement in Great Britain, having been first settled around 8820 BC. The parish includes the hamlets of Ratfyn and West Amesbury, and part of Boscombe Down military airfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porton Down</span> Military science park in Wiltshire, England

Porton Down is a science and defence technology campus in Wiltshire, England, just north-east of the village of Porton, near Salisbury. It is home to two British government facilities: a site of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory – known for over 100 years as one of the UK's most secretive and controversial military research facilities, occupying 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) – and a site of the UK Health Security Agency. Since 2018, part of the campus has housed Porton Science Park, which is owned and operated by Wiltshire Council and has private sector companies in the health, life science and defence and security sectors.

Novichok is a family of nerve agents, some of which are binary chemical weapons. The agents were developed at the GosNIIOKhT state chemical research institute by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971 and 1993. Some Novichok agents are solids at standard temperature and pressure, while others are liquids. Dispersal of solid form agents is thought possible if in ultrafine powder state.

Sergei Viktorovich Skripal is a former Russian military intelligence officer who acted as a double agent for the United Kingdom's intelligence services during the 1990s and early 2000s. In December 2004, he was arrested by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and later tried, convicted of high treason, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. He settled in the United Kingdom in 2010 following the Illegals Programme spy swap. He holds both Russian and British citizenship.

The poison laboratory of the Soviet secret services, alternatively known as Laboratory 1, Laboratory 12, and Kamera, was a covert research-and-development facility of the Soviet secret police agencies. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the laboratory manufactured and tested poisons, and was reportedly reactivated by the Russian government in the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury District Hospital</span> Hospital in Salisbury, England

Salisbury District Hospital is a large hospital on Odstock Road, Britford, Wiltshire, England, about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) south of the centre of the city of Salisbury. It is managed by the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VR (nerve agent)</span> Chemical compound

VR is a "V-series" unitary nerve agent closely related to the better-known VX nerve agent. It became a prototype for the series of Novichok agents. According to chemical weapons expert Jonathan Tucker, the first binary formulation developed under the Soviet Foliant program was used to make Substance 33, differing from VX only in the alkyl substituents on its nitrogen and oxygen atoms. "This weapon was given the code name Novichok."

Vil Sultanovich Mirzayanov is a Russian chemist of ethnic Tatar origin who now lives in the United States, best known for revealing secret chemical weapons experimentation in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal</span> 2018 attempted murder in Salisbury, England

The poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, also known as the Salisbury Poisonings, was a botched assassination attempt to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies in the city of Salisbury, England on 4 March 2018. Sergei and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned by means of a Novichok nerve agent. Both spent several weeks in hospital in a critical condition, before being discharged. A police officer, Nick Bailey, was also taken into intensive care after attending the incident, and was later discharged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A-234 (nerve agent)</span> Chemical compound

A-234 is an organophosphate nerve agent. It was developed in the Soviet Union under the FOLIANT program and is one of the group of compounds referred to as Novichok agents that were revealed by Vil Mirzayanov. In March 2018 the Russian ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, claimed to have been informed by British authorities that A-234 had been identified as the agent used in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Vladimir Uglev, one of the inventors of the Novichok series of compounds, said he was "99 percent sure that it was A-234" in relation to the 2018 Amesbury poisonings, noting its unusually high persistence in the environment.

Alexander Yevgenyevich Mishkin is a doctor in the Russian General Staff's Main Directorate, the military intelligence service of the Russian Federation.

Pablo Miller is a British former intelligence officer with the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), a former British diplomat and soldier who was first secretary of the British embassy in Estonia from 1997.

Denis Vyacheslavovich Sergeev, in Europe alias Sergej Fedotov is a Russian officer of military intelligence service GRU. He is suspected to be the local coordinator of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal 2018 in the UK and the 2015 poisoning of Bulgarian arms dealer Emilian Gebrev in Sofia.

The Salisbury Poisonings is a fact-based drama television series, starring Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall and Annabel Scholey which portrays the 2018 Novichok poisonings and decontamination crisis in Salisbury, England, and the subsequent Amesbury poisonings. The series was broadcast in three parts on BBC One in June 2020, and has been shown in four parts elsewhere. It was created by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn for Dancing Ledge Productions.

Tracy Daszkiewicz is a Deputy Director of Population Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England. She was formerly the Director of Public Health and Safety for the county of Wiltshire, England, where in 2018 she played a leading role in the response to the Novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poisoning of Alexei Navalny</span> Attack on Russian politician

On 20 August 2020, Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent and as a result, he was hospitalized in serious condition. During a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, he became ill and was taken to a hospital in Omsk after an emergency landing there, and then, he was put in a coma. He was evacuated to the Charité hospital in Berlin, Germany, two days later. The use of the nerve agent was confirmed by five Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) certified laboratories. On 7 September, doctors announced that they had taken Navalny out of the induced coma and that his condition had improved. He was discharged from the hospital on 22 September 2020. The OPCW said that a cholinesterase inhibitor from the Novichok group was found in Navalny's blood, urine, skin samples and his water bottle. At the same time, the OPCW report clarified that Navalny was poisoned with a new type of Novichok, which was not included in the list of controlled chemicals of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) is a controversial group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study propaganda and information operations surrounding the Syrian civil war. It was formed by environmental political theory professor Tim Hayward and former academic Piers Robinson in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrietta Hill</span> British High Court Judge

Dame Eleanor Mary Henrietta Hill, styled The Honourable Mrs Justice Hill, is a British High Court Judge.

Our Guys in Salisbury is a Russian board game that depicts the route of Anatoliy Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin from Moscow to the 2018 Salisbury poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The game was designed in November 2018 by Mikhail Bober, and released under the brand name Igroland shortly before Christmas that year. It reached international headlines in January 2019 due to its "poor taste" and "disregard" for the victims of the attack.

References

  1. ↑ "Two collapse near spy poisoning site". BBC News. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Amesbury pair poisoned by Novichok". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  3. ↑ "Amesbury substance: Paramedics wore hazmat suits". Sky News. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  4. ↑ "UPDATE: Woman dies following exposure to nerve agent in Amesbury". Metropolitan Police. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Novichok victim's sister recalls 'goodbye'". BBC News. 19 July 2018. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Morris, Steven; Bannock, Caroline (10 July 2018). "Man poisoned by novichok regains consciousness". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  7. 1 2 Morris, Steven; Dodd, Vikram (11 July 2018). "Amesbury novichok victim 'reveals doctors feared he would die'". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Steven Morris (18 July 2018). "Novichok poisonings: police search Salisbury park visited by couple". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Amesbury poisoning: 'Very emotional' funeral held for novichok victim Dawn Sturgess". Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Bullen, Jamie (20 July 2018). "Novichok victim Charlie Rowley discharged from Salisbury hospital three weeks after poisoning". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2018– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  11. ↑ Morris, Steven (20 August 2018). "Novichok victim back in hospital with sight problems, says brother". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "Novichok victim Charlie Rowley 'feeling positive' and 'hoping to get out of hospital in next two or three weeks'". 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  13. ↑ Marlow, Jeremy (27 September 2018). "Annual Board statement by the Accountable Emergency Officer" (PDF). NHS Improvement. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Agerholm, Harriet (4 July 2018). "Amesbury incident latest: Wiltshire couple were exposed to novichok nerve agent, police confirm". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Wiltshire pair poisoned by Novichok nerve agent". BBC News. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "Poisoned pair 'handled contaminated item'". BBC News. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
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  18. ↑ "Updated statement re: Amesbury". Metropolitan Police. 6 July 2018. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018.
  19. ↑ "No contamination found at John Baker House in Salisbury". Spire FM. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "UPDATE: Source of nerve agent contamination identified". Metropolitan Police. 13 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  21. ↑ Dodd, Vikram; Morris, Steven (13 July 2018). "Novichok that killed woman came from bottle, police believe". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "Amesbury: Novichok found in perfume bottle, says victim's brother". BBC News. 15 July 2018. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "OPCW Provides Technical Assistance for Amesbury, UK Incident". Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. 18 July 2018. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "Chemical weapons inspectors returning to UK to gather new novichok samples". Independent.co.uk . 7 August 2018. Archived from the original on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  25. ↑ "Nerve agent used on Skripals 'same one that killed Dawn Sturgess'". South China Morning Post. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  26. ↑ Tobin, Olivia (5 September 2018). "Novichok poisoning probe: Police say there is 'no doubt' Novichok victims are linked and Charlie Rowley and Dawn Sturgess were innocent tragic victims". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  27. ↑ Investigative Team, Bellingcat. "Full report: Skripal Poisoning Suspect Dr. Alexander Mishkin, Hero of Russia". Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Counter-terrorism police release images of two suspects in connection with Salisbury attack". Metropolitan Police. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  29. ↑ Hudson, Rebecca (19 July 2018). "Dawn Sturgess inquest opens in Salisbury". Salisbury Journal. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  30. ↑ Tryhorn, Faye (19 July 2018). "Inquest into Novichok victim Dawn Sturgess opened". Spire FM . Archived from the original on 21 July 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  31. 1 2 Ridley, David (20 December 2019). "The Inquest touching upon the death of Dawn Kelly Sturgess: Scope Ruling" (PDF). Wiltshire Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  32. ↑ Morris, Steven (14 January 2020). "Dawn Sturgess death from novichok: duty to protect public 'not breached' says coroner". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
  33. ↑ "Inquiry into Novichok poisoning of Dawn Sturgess to start". BBC News. 13 October 2024.
  34. ↑ Morris, Steven; Bannock, Caroline (16 October 2024). "Salisbury poisoning: woman 'foamed at the mouth' after spraying novichok on wrists, inquiry told". The Guardian.
  35. ↑ "The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry – Inquiry into 2018 Salisbury poisonings". www.dawnsturgess.independent-inquiry.uk.
  36. ↑ "Amesbury poisoning – LIVE: Government to hold emergency Cobra meeting after novichok nerve agent leaves Wiltshire couple fighting for their life". Independent. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  37. ↑ "Amesbury poisoning: Russia using UK as 'dumping ground" Archived 5 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, 5 July 2018
  38. 1 2 Evelyn, Rupert (24 July 2018). "Exclusive: Novichok poisoning victim Charlie Rowley reveals perfume gift he gave to partner contained deadly nerve agent". ITV News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  39. 1 2 Steven Morris; Kevin Rawlinson (24 July 2018). "Novichok victim found substance disguised as perfume in sealed box". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  40. ↑ "Novichok: Victim found poison bottle in branded box". BBC News. 24 July 2018. Archived from the original on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Morris, Steven (9 June 2020). "Wiltshire flat where novichok victim fell ill to be demolished". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
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