Daily Record : British 'spy' found murdered in his flat near headquarters of MI6 may have been dead for two weeks

British 'spy' found murdered in his flat near headquarters of MI6 may have been dead for two weeks

August 25, 2010

STABBED spy Gareth Williams had been dead for at least two weeks when he was found stuffed into a sports bag in his bath, police have said.

They believe the 31-year-old may have known his killer and had not been targeted by terrorists.

Williams's body was found on Monday in his blood-spattered flat in Pimlico, south London.

He had been living there for a year during a secondment to secret service MI6 from the GCHQ listening post in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

The grim discovery was made after police were called by colleagues concerned he had not shown up for work.

Williams's mobile phone and SIM cards had been carefully laid out elsewhere in the flat.

The keen cyclist and maths expert would not even talk to his family about his true line of work.

Williams had been due to return to GCHQ next week and police have not ruled out the possibility another intelligence officer could be involved the murder.

The £1million townhouse he lived in is owned by the secret services.

It was unclear if the building had extra security such as CCTV cameras.

Neighbours were shocked when police sealed off the street.

Secretary Laura Houghton, 30, said: "His windows were always shut and curtains were often closed. I could never tell if anyone was in.

"It was strange that we never saw him come and go. I just assumed he worked away."

Other neighbours include former Conservative leader Michael Howard and a host of politicians and bankers.

Williams excelled at maths and joined GCHQ after being headhunted at Cambridge University.

Landlady Jenny Elliott, who rented him a one-bedroom flat in Cheltenham, was heartbroken at his death.

The 71-year-old described him as "like a mouse" and "so lovely".

Williams did not enjoy flying but made several trips to the US where he met colleagues from the National Security Agency.

He advised MI6 on codes when he moved to London last year.

Williams then called Mrs Elliott four months ago asking for his old room back.

She said: "He said he was being transferred back to GCHQ and would probably stay for at least two years.

"I can't believe he's not coming back. It's terrible."

His devastated parents Ian and Ellen returned from holiday abroad to help formally identify their son.

Officers were interviewing sister Ceri at her home in Chester.

Former Merseyside police officer Cathy Stanley said: "He was very quiet, kept himself to himself and gave nothing away about himself. Classic spy profile, I suppose."

A GCHQ spokesman said: "Our policy is not to comment on individual members of staff, or whether they are staff."