News Wales : Two wanted in MI6 death mystery

Two wanted in MI6 death mystery

December 22, 2010

Police today released e-fit images of a couple they want to interview about the mysterious death of the Welsh-born MI6 code breaker Gareth Williams, whose body was found inside a padlocked holdall in his Pimlico flat on August 23.

Detectives revealed that Mr Williams, 31, from Holyhead, had visited a drag show and owned £15,000 worth of women's designer clothing. He had viewed websites showing people bound and tied, which included do-it-yourself guides.

They believe other people helped him to get into the holdall and want to speak to them.

The two e-fit images issued by police show a casually-dressed couple of Mediterranean appearance, thought to be in their 20s, who were buzzed through the communal entrance of his home by another resident in late June or July.

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire,who is heading the inquiry into his death, said she was convinced someone else helped to put him there after an expert brought in to examine the holdall concluded he could not have locked it himself.

DCI Sebire said police had forensic evidence that other people were in the flat, whom they have not been able to trace.

Maths genius

Raised in Holyhead and a fluent Welsh speaker, Mr Williams studied at Cambridge University – one of the traditional recruiting grounds for the British secret services.

He excelled at maths, embarking on a postgraduate certificate in advanced studies in mathematics at St Catharine's College in 2000.

The course is described as "demanding" and normally only accepts students with first-class degrees in physics, mathematics or engineering. But he dropped out after a year and began a career working for the secret services.

Mr Williams was a keen cyclist and tributes have been left to him on cycling forums. A friend who knew him when they rode for Holyhead Cycling Club, wrote: "He was a maths genius. People sometimes thought he was dense because he spoke rather slowly and sometimes seemed distracted.

"How wrong can you get. A pretty quick junior, and a very nice quietly-spoken young man. RIP Gareth."