The investigation into the passing of Dawn Sturgess has verified that her demise was due to exposure to a Novichok nerve agent concealed in a perfume bottle discovered by her partner in Salisbury. It concludes that this Novichok likely came from the same batch involved in the attack on the Skripals four months prior and that it was manufactured in Russia. Lord Hughes of Ombersley’s inquiry stated that the significant amount of unused Novichok left behind by Russian agents was ‘an astonishingly reckless thing to do, given the potential of even a small quantity to kill many thousands of innocent people.’
Dawn was 44 years old when she passed away in June 2018 in her partner Charlie Rowley’s flat in Amesbury. Rowley had given Sturgess a small bottle, which he claimed was a perfume by Nina Ricci, that he found. She used the ‘perfume’ on her wrists and likely inhaled it. In reality, the substance was an organophosphate nerve agent. Rowley fell seriously ill but survived.
Wiltshire Police presumed that the incident was drug-related, partly due to Rowley’s history as an known intravenous opiate user. Lord Hughes noted that this perspective dominated over others’ concerns, particularly those of the paramedics, one of whom had also responded to the Salisbury incident and suspected organophosphate poisoning. The police issued a warning directed at local drug users. One theory considered was that a contaminated batch of drugs might have included organophosphates.
The inquiry criticized this inconsistent messaging, notes Alistair Hay, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Leeds, who specializes in the effects of chemical warfare agents. Symptoms of opiate poisoning, such as pupil contraction, reduced heart rate, diminished breathing, and coma, overlap with those of organophosphate poisoning, but the two victims exhibited symptoms that did not overlap, such as sweating and drooling, which are indicative of organophosphate effects on the nervous system.
‘Information should have been exchanged between emergency services regarding this overlap, but it wasn’t,’ Hay says. ‘Many in law enforcement were not aware of this symptom commonality and perceived the poisonings of Charlie and Dawn as likely resulting from opiates. Thankfully, the paramedics who treated Charlie Rowley also thought of organophosphate poisoning and administered antidotes for both opiate and organophosphate poisoning before he arrived at the hospital, likely saving his life. Nothing could have saved Dawn Sturgess as she suffered irreversible brain damage since her heart was believed to have stopped approximately 30 minutes before paramedics reached her.’
After a meticulous and thorough investigation, all the circumstances surrounding Dawn’s tragic demise are now documented in the long-awaited public inquiry. However, what new information has the inquiry revealed that was not already known?
Some clarity has been provided regarding how the Novichok-containing bottle came into Rowley’s possession. Media speculation at the time had focused on why the container appeared in Amesbury, 15 miles away, three months after the attack on the Skripals. Was it a backup nerve agent bottle that had been discarded? The inquiry found that Dawn’s partner likely discovered the Novichok container packaged as a perfume in Salisbury, a few days after the March 2018 attack, and stored it in his room for future use. After a disagreement with Dawn in June, he gifted her the perfume. Unfortunately, his recollection of the events surrounding that period was considered unreliable due to several factors, including the Novichok exposure that nearly claimed his life.
There was also uncertainty at the time of the poisonings regarding whether the Novichok perfume was in sealed packaging, which led some to speculate that it had never been opened and could potentially be the theorized backup Novichok bottle. The report further clarifies that two heavy-duty plastic sachets were discovered in the trash at the flat. It is believed these initially contained the Novichok container and were professionally sealed when the nerve agent was created. These bags were then repurposed after the Skripal attack, with the perfume bottle poorly re-packaged using a domestic heat sealer.
The inquiry offered Sturgess’s family some of the answers they were looking for. However, they disagreed with the inquiry’s findings that the state was not to blame for not considering the public risks posed by a former Russian spy residing openly in the community. The family is now urging that lessons be learned to better protect the public in situations where known individuals may be at risk of targeting by foreign governments.
Overall, Hay admires the comprehensiveness of the report. ‘What a remarkable piece of detective work by all parties involved, from the police, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) scientists, paramedics, clinicians, etc.,