'Spy in the bag' Gareth Williams was murdered says investigator who tried to lock himself in holdall more than 300 times
20 January 2023, 13:55 | Updated: 20 January 2023, 17:32
An expert investigator has claimed 'spy in the bag' Gareth Williams was murdered in an excerpt released ahead of the publication of his new memoir.
Williams, 31, was found dead inside a locked holdall placed in the bath at his Pimlico flat in 2010.
A codebreaker working for GCHQ, Williams was on secondment to MI6 at the time of his death.
Now, as part of his new book What Lies Beneath: My Life as a Forensic Search and Rescue Expert, Peter Faulding reveals he attempted to lock himself inside an identical holdall more than 300 times in an attempt to unravel the case.
In an excerpt obtained by the Daily Mail, the book discusses the case that made headlines worldwide when it was claimed by the Metropolitan Police that the spy locked himself in the North Face holdall.
A 16 month investigation by Met Murder Sqaud detectives in 2013 deemed no foul play was involved in the spy's death.
No fingerprints were found inside the flat and no signs of a struggle were present, with authorities claiming his death was part of a sex game gone wrong.
However, the claims made by Faulding as part of his new book tie in with the results of the coroner’s inquest, led by Dr Fiona Wilcox, which ruled Williams was in fact “unlawfully killed”.
Attempting to lock himself inside the holdall more than 300 times in a bid to replicate the events surrounding Mr Williams' death, the investigator has claimed he failed on every occasion.
"Not even Houdini would have been able to pull it off," writes Faulding in the book.
"To be honest, it seemed implausible to me. I know people are into auto-asphyxiation and bondage, but the technicalities of what was being suggested seemed impossible," writes Faulding.
"I presented my thoughts to the investigation team. In my opinion Gareth was already dead when he was put in the bag.
"It looked to me like someone was trying to smear him," he adds.
What Lies Beneath: My Life As A Forensic Search And Rescue Expert will be published by Macmillan on February 2.
