Dawn Sturgess public inquiry begins evidence hearings

Evening Standard

The 44-year-old died in 2018 having been poisoned by Novichok which was present on a discarded perfume bottle. The inquiry, which is chaired by retired Supreme Court justice Lord Hughes of Ombersley, sits all week in Salisbury.

Transcript

00:00Two minutes after the time of the photograph that we are looking at,

00:03Sergei and Yulia Skripal sat down on a bench in the Maltings,

00:08close in fact to where they had fed the ducks earlier whilst walking from the car park.

00:13And if we can have INQ 00581973, photo camera 13, thank you.

00:20One can see in the distance in that photograph in the yellow box,

00:24that is Sergei and Yulia Skripal sitting on the bench.

00:28Shortly after at 3.35 in the afternoon.

00:34They were still there half an hour or so later when passing members of the public,

00:41from whom we shall hear evidence, realised that they were in distress.

00:45An ambulance was called and the Skripals were given first aid.

00:50In addition to evidence from CCTV such as, thank you you can take that down now,

00:56such as we've just been looking at.

00:59Also the statements of passers-by and the evidence of those who provided emergency care.

01:05We will also be able to reduce first-hand evidence about these matters

01:10from Sergei and Yulia Skripal themselves.

01:14We have lengthy transcripts of police interviews that they gave after they had recovered

01:20from the initial effects of the poisoning.

01:23Also witness statements which they produced at the time and further witness statements

01:28that both of them have produced much more recently at your request.

01:34I should make it clear though that neither Sergei nor Yulia Skripal

01:38will be giving live oral evidence to the inquiry.

01:42That is the consequence of a ruling that you gave about three weeks ago,

01:46which has attracted some publicity and also commentary.

01:51Amongst that commentary, sir, was a tweet from the Russian embassy

01:55which asserted that your ruling, and I quote,

01:59demonstrates the British authorities' obstinacy in concealing our citizens.

02:05The full reasons for the decision that you took are set out in your ruling,

02:11which is dated the 23rd of September of this year

02:15and which is to be found published on the inquiry website.

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