A former spy and his daughter, who were poisoned by deadly nerve agent Novichok, may give evidence in-person at the Russian-state Salisbury poisonings inquiry, a preliminary hearing has heard.
Dawn Sturgess, 44, died after being exposed to the chemical weapon which was left in a discarded perfume bottle in Amesbury, Wiltshire, in July 2018.
It followed the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, his daughter Yulia and ex-police officer Nick Bailey, who were poisoned in nearby Salisbury in March that year.
All three survived, as did Ms Sturgess’s boyfriend Charlie Rowley.
On Friday, a preliminary hearing for the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice heard that Mr Skripal and his daughter may give oral evidence later this year.
Michael Mansfield KC, representing the family of Ms Sturgess, said this was because transcripts from police interviews with the Skripals had not been disclosed to him.
They should therefore be provisionally on the witness list for the substantive inquiry hearings due to begin in Salisbury in October, the court heard.
Mr Mansfield said: “We are in less than a Twilight Zone (without having the transcripts), it’s rather dark, until we know we can’t act on it.”
He acknowledged the Skripals’s “potential trauma” if they were to give evidence.
Jack Holborn, representing the Skripals, spoke of concerns over security measures for them if they give evidence, as well as the potential “distress” of appearing in court.
The Government’s KC, Cathryn McGahey told the hearing: “The safety of the Skripals is paramount.”
It was also heard that lawyers representing Ms Sturgess’ family may not be able to question witnesses at the substantive inquiry hearings over fears that issues of national security and police workings may be revealed.
The family want to investigate the quality of the care she received before her death, Mr Mansfield said.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here