Guardian : Police issue CCTV footage of dead MI6 worker

Police issue CCTV footage of dead MI6 worker

Gareth Williams is pictured at tube station nine days before body was found, as police seek man and woman seen at flats

Caroline Davies | September 6, 2010

MI6 officer Gareth Williams was filmed on CCTV at Holland Park tube station in west London nine days before his body was found in a holdall in his Pimlico flat.

The last known images of the MI6 code-breaker Gareth Williams, found dead in a padlocked holdall in his bath, were released by detectives today, as they made a public appeal for information about his death.

CCTV pictures show the Cambridge-educated mathematician, seconded from the government communications headquarters (GCHQ) to MI6, shopping in central London, including at Harrods, shortly after returning from a holiday in America.

The images were released as police appealed for witnesses who may have seen Williams, 30, from Anglesey, before his body was discovered at the MI6-owned flat where he was living in Pimlico on 23 August.

They also wish to trace a mystery couple, said to have visited the Alderney Street premises where he had the top-floor flat, in the late evening on an undisclosed date in June or July. Said to be "of Mediterranean appearance" and in their 20s or 30s, the two were buzzed in through the communal door to the house.

Postmortem results have so far failed to establish a cause of death, other than to find that Williams does not appear to have been shot or stabbed. There are also no obvious signs of strangulation.

Scotland Yard revealed that he was unclothed when discovered inside a zipped and padlocked red holdall in the empty bath in his ensuite bathroom.

Toxicology test results show no traces of alcohol, or of routine or recreational drugs. A Metropolitan police spokesman said: "Testing for other substance continues."

There was no sign of forced entry to Williams's flat or of any disturbance inside. Nor did it appear that any property was missing. "There is no suggestion the items within the flat were specifically posed," said the spokesman.

The mystery surrounding the death, which the police so far have refused to classify as murder, has led to intense speculation ranging from theories relating to his work as a ciphers and code-breaking expert, to rumours about his private life.

Described as 5ft 7in tall with short hair and of muscular build, Williams, who was not married and was said to be a "very private person", was days away from completing a one-year secondment to the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service MI6 in Vauxhall, London, when his body was found.

He had returned to the UK from a holiday in the US on Wednesday, 11 August, said police. In one CCTV image he is seen, wearing a red T-shirt, beige trousers and white trainers, entering Holland Park underground station at about 3pm on Saturday, August 14.

The next day he is shown shopping in Brompton Road, where he visited a cash machine and Harrods department store. Later, at about 2.30pm, he is seen just outside Harrods in Hans Crescent before heading towards Sloane Street, near the Dolce and Gabbana store. This was the last known sighting of him.

Detective Chief Inspector Jacqueline Sebire, who is leading the investigation, said: "This remains a complex, unexplained death inquiry." She appealed for anyone who may have seen or had contact with Williams between 11 and 23 August to contact the incident room on 020-8358 0200, or Crimestoppers on 0800-555 111.

In a statement shortly after his body was found, Williams's family described rumours suggesting his sex life might hold the clues to his death as "very distressing".

They paid tribute to him as a "generous, loving son, brother, and friend" and a very private person, who was "a great athlete, and loved cycling and music".