New Details Emerge in Salisbury Poisoning Inquiry Boy Fell Ill After Encounter with Skripal

The ongoing inquiry into the tragic 2018 Salisbury poisoning has revealed new, troubling details involving a young boy who reportedly fell ill after an encounter with Sergei Skripal. On March 4, 2018, the former Russian spy, who later collapsed from novichok poisoning, handed the boy bread to feed ducks, an inquiry at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London has confirmed.

The boy, along with two other children he was with, became unwell shortly after Skripal provided them with the bread in Salisbury city center. Although public health authorities quickly tracked down the children following the Skripals’ collapse on a nearby bench, tests revealed no traces of novichok in their systems. The children only experienced mild symptoms for a day or two, escaping the lethal effects that plagued Skripal, his daughter Yulia, and police officer Nick Bailey, who responded to the incident.

Dawn Sturgess tragically succumbed to novichok poisoning months later in Amesbury after handling a contaminated perfume bottle. Her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, who had unknowingly given her the bottle, survived, as did the Skripals and Officer Bailey. British authorities have held the Russian government responsible for both poisonings, sparking international tensions and ongoing investigations. The inquiry, chaired by former Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes of Ombersley, is currently delving deeper into the timeline and unfolding events to ascertain how and when the novichok contamination occurred.

Ross and Maureen Cassidy, neighbors and close friends of Skripal since his arrival in Salisbury in 2010, provided a detailed timeline that aided police in pinpointing when the novichok was likely applied to the Skripals’ home. According to Ross Cassidy, Skripal had voiced his fears about President Vladimir Putin, confiding that Putin would “get him” if he ever returned to Russia. 

Just one day before the poisoning, the Cassidys had driven Skripal to Heathrow Airport to pick up Yulia. During the drive back, Ross Cassidy suspected they were being followed. He recounted to the inquiry how he noticed a black BMW and an unmarked white car tailing them on the M3 motorway. Reflecting on the day’s events, Cassidy later connected these observations to the poisoning, though police later determined the vehicles were involved in unrelated law enforcement activities.

The timeline evidence offered by the Cassidys suggests that the novichok was likely applied to Skripal’s door handle between the evening of March 3 and the afternoon of March 4. CCTV footage from March 4 captured the Skripals heading into the Salisbury city center, where Skripal handed the boy bread to feed ducks by a pond. Afterward, they were seen having drinks at The Mill pub before dining at Zizzi restaurant, where they reportedly began feeling unwell. The pair later collapsed on a bench in a nearby park, triggering widespread emergency response.

On Tuesday, Alison McCourt, a former chief nurse for the British Army, described the moment she came to the Skripals’ aid. In response to Russian claims implicating her in the poisonings, McCourt stated these allegations were “malicious” and baseless, clarifying that she was only in Salisbury at her children’s urging to stop at a Nando’s restaurant. “I had no prior knowledge of the individuals on the bench—I had never seen them before in my life,” she asserted.

Initially, she mistook the Skripals for individuals under the influence and hesitated to intervene until her daughter encouraged her to help. McCourt added that she had no reason to suspect a nerve agent was involved and emphasized that had she known, she would have refrained from risking exposure without protective equipment.

The inquiry continues, shedding light on the complex events surrounding the Salisbury poisonings and the deadly presence of novichok on British soil.

Based on a report by Sky News 2024-10-31