Scotsman : Further tests aim to reveal how MI6 spy died

Further tests aim to reveal how MI6 spy died

By Rory Reynolds | August 29, 2010

INVESTIGATORS are attempting to determine the exact cause of death of MI6 codebreaker Gareth Williams, police said last night.

However, tests to establish whether the 30-year-old was poisoned, drugged or asphyxiated may not be completed until later this week and this will delay attempts to piece together exactly how he died. A post-mortem examination last week proved inconclusive.

Williams was last seen alive eight days before his corpse was found stuffed in a bag at his flat in Pimlico, London. A confirmed sighting of Williams, who was on a year-long secondment from GCHQ, was made on 15 August in London, officers said. But police would not say whether the sighting was made on CCTV or came from another source.

The inquiry is being led by the Metropolitan Police's Homicide Command with the support of security-vetted Counter Terror Command unit SO15. In an unusual move, Scotland Yard has denied rumours circulated by the security services about Williams' private life.

Intelligence community sources had claimed Williams was gay, had paraphernalia associated with sado-masochism in his flat and was linked to male escorts. However, police say the claims are unsubstantiated, sparking speculation that elements in the intelligence community have attempted to carry out a smear campaign against Williams.