Pictures show tiny perfume bottle used to store lethal Russian nerve agent Novichok - which killed Dawn Sturgess

15 October 2024, 12:25 | Updated: 15 October 2024, 12:48

Images have been released of the perfume bottle used to store the lethal nerve agent that caused the death of mum-of-three Dawn Sturgess.

Sturgess, 44, died in hospital days after she sprayed herself with Novichok, believing it to be perfume, in July 2018.

The lethal chemical was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, and was unwittingly given to her by her boyfriend Charlie Rowley.

It followed the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and then police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year.

They were poisoned when members of a Russian military intelligence squad are believed to have smeared the nerve agent on Mr Skripal's door handle. All three survived.

Yesterday, the inquiry heard the bottle carrying the nerve agent contained "enough poison to kill thousands of people".

Charlie Rowley gave it the bottle Ms Sturgess as the packaging suggested it was a Nina Ricci Premier Jour perfume.

The inquiry heard she felt "peculiar" shortly after spraying it on herself and went into the bathroom – where her partner then found her "convulsing and drooling at the mouth".

She was then rushed to hospital where she later died in intensive care.

The inquiry also released images of Dawn before the poisoning took place.

CCTV footage shows her in Amesbury the day before she collapsed and was admitted to hospital.

Read more: What were the Salisbury Poisonings? Inquiry opens into Novichok death

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Caroline Sturgess, Dawn's mother, told the inquiry that they know the container holding Novichok was enough "to kill thousands of people".

"Although we are devastated by her death, our family find comfort that Dawn was the only life lost that day when the potential harm was much, much more.

"We know she would agree."

She also added that Dawn was supposed to meet with her daughter the following day to spend time together.

"It was pure chance that Dawn had sprayed herself with the Novichok before her daughter arrived.

"Dawn’s death was a tragedy to us all, but the fact that her daughter was not killed as well is a solace that we often revisit," she added.

An international arrest warrant was issued for three Russian men thought to be involved in the attacks on British soil, but as the Russian constitution does not allow the extradition of its citizens it is unlikely they will ever stand trial.

Two suspects gave an interview with Russian state media in which they said they were only in the UK, briefly, to visit Salisbury Cathedral.

Novichok Suspects Claim They Were In Salisbury To Visit The Famous Cathedral

Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is "nothing criminal" about Petrov and Boshirov - the two accused of perpetrating the attack.

The Novichok poisoning caused the UK to expel 23 Russian diplomats, calling the incident an "unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the UK".

The UK, US, Germany and France issued a joint statement blaming Russia for the attack.

Then, Russia expelled 23 UK diplomats. The US then expelled 60 Russian diplomats.

Britain’s allies announce more than 100 Russian agents are being sent home from 22 countries, in what Theresa May called the "largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers in history".

'Justice is unlikely'

Former Prime Minister Theresa May previously said "justice is unlikely" for the victims of the attacks.

Baroness May also told the BBC's Crime Next Door: Salisbury Poisonings podcast, that the Russians accused of executing the attack acted with "utter recklessness".

"You felt they just didn't care about anything," she said.