A public enquiry into the death of a woman who Britain said was unintentionally killed with the nerve agent Novichok after the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal six years ago would start on 14 October, according to Euractiv.
Dawn Sturgess died from exposure to Novichok in July 2018 after her partner found a fake bottle of perfume allegedly used by Russian intelligence agents to smuggle the poison into the country.
Skripal, who sold Russian secrets to Britain, and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a public bench in the southern English city of Salisbury four months earlier. Both they and a police officer who went to Skripal’s home were left in critical condition from exposure to a military-grade nerve agent but recovered, according to a British police statement.
The hearing will take place in Salisbury. It aims to provide the Sturgess family with answers about how she died, as well as to hear some confidential evidence in secret from the government and security services.
British police charged three Russians in absentia for the attack on Skripal and his daughter. However, no formal case has been made against them over the death of 44-year-old Sturgess. The three men and Moscow denied any involvement.
Last month, the chairman of the enquiry, former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hughes, ruled that the Skripals would not testify themselves. He said there was an “overwhelming risk” they would be physically attacked if they were identified and their current whereabouts revealed.
The incident led to the largest expulsion of diplomats since the Cold War, with relations between London and Moscow deteriorating further since the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
However, the Russian embassy in London stated last week that “references to the alleged use of the mythical Novichok are quite preposterous.”
