Thailand Live Saturday 12 October 2024

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Former Prime Minister Theresa May expressed doubts that justice will ever be achieved for those affected by the Salisbury Novichok attack. Speaking about the 2018 poisoning that claimed the life of Wiltshire resident Dawn Sturgess, she admitted that it is “highly unlikely” that those responsible will face trial. Instead, May hopes that Sturgess’ family will find solace in the forthcoming independent inquiry into her death. “I would hope by the end of it the family and friends of Dawn Sturgess feel it has got to the truth,” she stated during an interview for a new BBC podcast on the Salisbury Poisonings, which covers the inquiry.

 

 

Ms. Sturgess, a 44-year-old mother of three, tragically died in July 2018 after coming into contact with Novichok, a deadly Russian nerve agent. It is believed that the chemical weapon had been carelessly discarded by Russian agents who were targeting former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in March 2018. In addition to Skripal, his daughter Yulia Skripal and Wiltshire Police officer Det Sgt Nick Bailey were also exposed to the toxin, though they later recovered.

 

 

Charlie Rowley, Sturgess’s partner, unwittingly gave her the poison after finding the perfume bottle containing the Novichok, unaware of its deadly contents. May, who was the prime minister at the time, expressed deep sadness over the incident. "I felt huge sadness about Ms. Sturgess' death," she said, while also pointing out that the number of potential victims could have been much higher, given the quantity of the nerve agent discovered. She described the Russian agents’ actions as "utter recklessness."

 

Within a week of the Skripal attack, the UK government, led by May, publicly accused the Russian government of involvement. This swift response led to the expulsion of Russian intelligence officers by the UK and numerous other countries. “We had to be certain of our ground,” May explained, recalling the tense moment she stood in the House of Commons to formally accuse Russia. "It's why we took our time" to gather the facts and avoid “rash declarations.” She acknowledged the challenge of balancing the public’s desire for immediate information with the need for caution.

 

Reflecting on the broader context of Russian-linked poisonings, May also expressed regret that the UK had not responded more forcefully to the 2006 murder of Alexander Litvinenko, another former Russian spy, who was killed in London using radioactive polonium-210. A public inquiry concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin had likely approved Litvinenko's assassination. “I think we probably should have taken a stronger response to that at the time and given a clearer message to Russia," she admitted.

 

The public inquiry into Dawn Sturgess’s death, which was converted from an inquest in 2021 to allow for classified evidence, is set to begin on October 14, more than six years after the incident. The inquiry aims to uncover the circumstances surrounding her death but cannot assign guilt or lead to a trial. While UK counter-terrorism police identified two Russian nationals, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, as suspects in September 2018, and later named a third suspect, Sergey Fedotov, all three remain in Russia. Despite the international arrest warrants issued against them, they are unlikely to face justice, as Russia’s constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens. Russia has continuously denied involvement, with its foreign ministry dismissing the inquiry as a “circus.” 

 

As the inquiry proceeds, May’s hope is that while justice may remain out of reach, the truth surrounding Ms. Sturgess’s tragic death will provide some measure of closure to her loved ones.

 

Based on a report from BBC 2024-10-12

 

 

 

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