This Is London : Spy-in-a-bag tests could show how he died

Spy-in-a-bag tests could show how he died

Justin Davenport, Crime Editor | August 31, 2010

Toxicology test results which could show how British spy Gareth Williams met his death are expected to be revealed within days.

The body of the 31-year-old was found in a sports bag in the bath of his Pimlico flat last week but pathologists have been unable to explain how he died.

The maths genius was on secondment to MI6 in London and was within days of returning to his job as a codebreaker with the Government's GCHQ listening station in Cheltenham.

His work as a cipher and codes specialist regularly took him to the US, where he liaised with the National Security Agency and the CIA, and it is reported that he also made a number of visits to Afghanistan.

His body was found in his flat on Monday, August 23, eight days after he was last seen on Sunday, August 15, though police have refused to say where he was when last sighted.

There were no obvious injuries on his body and police hope that tests could show if he was poisoned, drugged or smothered.

Detectives are working on the assumption he was murdered but have not ruled out the possibility that Mr Williams died in a bizarre accident from an overdose or a sex game that went wrong.

His family, angered at claims that he led a homosexual lifestyle, said some of the rumours could be smears aimed at discrediting him.

They issued a statement saying: “Gareth was a generous, loving son, brother, and friend, and he was a very private person. He was a great athlete, and loved cycling and music.”