ABC (Australia) : 'Spy in bag' inquest hears of grim find

'Spy in bag' inquest hears of grim find

By Lisa Millar in London, wires | April 24, 2012

A British spy found dead in his flat almost two years ago was unhappy at work and had asked to leave MI6, an inquest into his death has been told.

In a case that baffled police, Gareth Williams's body was found in a zipped and locked sports bag in his London flat in 2010.

Police found no signs anyone else had been there but located women's clothing, shoes and a wig.

The 31-year-old's family believe someone skilled in the intelligence services may have been involved.

The coroner has described the case as highly controversial and has offered anonymity to several intelligence officers giving evidence.

One policeman, John Gallagher, told the courtroom how he found the decomposing body of Mr Williams in a padlocked bag in a bathtub.

Mr Gallagher said he was called to Mr Williams's flat on August 23, 2010 because of concerns over his welfare after he had not been seen for more than a week.

He said in an ensuite bathroom he noticed a "particular smell" and a red North Face bag in the bath.

"I looked at the bag - I noticed a bulge. I noticed there was a padlock. Two of the zips were joined together," he said.

"I lifted the bag, possibly only six or seven inches - it was quite heavy.

"That's when I noticed some red fluid.

"It was in the bath, like it had been seeping out of the bag."

Police also found a "lady's wig" hanging on a chair and a mobile phone laid out on the dining table of the flat along with two SIM cards, while the lights were on although it was daytime.

They confirmed the naked body in the bag was that of Mr Williams and realised within hours that he was an MI6 agent, resulting in the rapid involvement of counter-terror police.

The five-day inquest at Westminster Coroners Court, at which almost 40 witnesses will give evidence, will be shown a video of a practical demonstration of how Mr Williams could have got into the bag and locked it by himself.

Coroner Fiona Wilcox said the demonstration was "at the very heart of this inquiry", given one suggestion is Mr Williams had got into the bag as part of a sadomasochistic sex ritual.

But it will not be performed live in court "to prevent proceedings becoming ridiculous", she said.

'Office friction'

Earlier in the hearing, Mr Williams's sister described how he had been seconded to MI6 from GCHQ, Britain's electronic "listening post" which monitors communications for intelligence purposes, based in Cheltenham, western England.

Ceri Subbe said her brother had experienced some "friction in the office" and had asked to cut the secondment short - returning to Cheltenham after one year instead of three.

He had also just completed a work trip to the United States.

She said her brother had been unhappy at the spy agency and disliked post-work drinks and the rat race.

But the family were not overly concerned about his state of mind at the time of his death, finding him "upbeat" in their final conversation.

Despite media reports that Mr Williams told friends he was being followed, Ms Subbe said her brother had never mentioned such concerns to her.

He was "scrupulous" in assessing risk and let very few people into his flat, she said.

Genius

Ms Subbe was unaware that her brother had an extensive wardrobe of female clothing in his flat and speculated it could possibly be "a gift ... or collectibles".

Mr Williams, who came from Wales and is thought to have been a mathematics genius, started university at age 16 and went on to earn a doctorate, his sister said.

A lawyer for the Williams family, Anthony O'Toole, said at a pre-inquest review hearing last month that they believe someone else was either present when he died or broke into his home afterwards to destroy evidence.

"The impression of the family is that the unknown third party was a member of some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services - or evidence has been removed post-mortem by experts in the dark arts," he said.

Four intelligence agents are to testify at the inquest, but they will be identified only by letters of the alphabet and speak from behind screens.

Police say the inquest could lead to criminal proceedings.

ABC/AFP