Independent : Family fear cover-up over MI6 spy whose body was found in bag

Family fear cover-up over MI6 spy whose body was found in bag

Nina Lakhani | April 21, 2012

Relatives of the MI6 spy found dead in a locked holdall have spoken out about the family's anguish over the unsolved death as they prepare for the inquest on Monday.

The body of Gareth Williams, 31, a GCHQ code-breaker, was found naked and decomposing in a bag in the bath at his flat in south London in August 2010. His family believes he was murdered by a member of "some agency specialising in the dark arts of the secret services". Police have admitted that their investigation had been set back by a forensic blunder.

His aunt and uncle, Judith and Dafydd Thomas from Anglesey, North Wales, said the family was "very raw" and they hoped the inquest would provide some answers. "This was not a body in the bag – he was our nephew, a wonderful young man," Mr Thomas said. His wife added: "We could fill newspapers with words to describe Gareth ... It's a distressing time for us, especially with the inquest starting."

The inquest, at Westminster Coroner's Court, must decide whether the young mathematician could have physically locked himself in the bag without help. The coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, is considering testing this by ordering a live demonstration at the inquest, which is scheduled to last five days. The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has ordered key evidence to be heard in secret. Mr Williams' work with British and US secret services will not be disclosed.

Friends, neighbours and his family believe he will become another victim of a "cover-up".

A school friend, David Jones, 31, told the London Evening Standard: "This is David Kelly all over again. A cover-up. There was no evidence at the scene, it just doesn't add up."