Public announcements by UK law enforcement agencies

Theresa May: Justice 'Highly Unlikely' as Novichok Inquiry into Dawn Sturgess's Death Begins

Oct 14, 2024, 06:00 AM

A public inquiry into the 2018 death of Dawn Sturgess, a mother of three from Wiltshire who was fatally poisoned by the Novichok nerve agent, has begun at Salisbury Guildhall amid increased security. The inquiry, which started on October 14, will investigate the role of the Russian state in the poisonings and whether UK authorities, including MI5 and the police, took appropriate precautions to protect potential targets. Sturgess died after coming into contact with a perfume bottle containing Novichok, the same substance used in the attempted assassination of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal earlier that year. The perfume bottle contained enough nerve agent to kill thousands, the inquiry heard. Former Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in office at the time of the poisonings, has stated that justice for the victims is 'highly unlikely' given the circumstances. Much of the inquiry will be held behind closed doors due to security concerns.